THE 

FERROTYPE, 


HOW  TO  MAKE  IT. 


EDWARD  M.  ESTABROOKE. 

-  - 


E.  &  H.  T.  ANTJHONY  &  GO., 
new  Yopiis:, 

1883. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tlie  year  1880,  by 
E.  &  H.  T.  ANTHONY  &  CO. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


OOI^TE^TS 


CHAPTER  I— Positive  Photography, 

Definition  of  Term— Characteristics  of  Positive 
Pictures— Reasons  for  Popularity  of  the  Ferro¬ 
type— Brief  History  of  Photography. 

CHAPTER  II— The  Ferrotype, . 

Its  Superiority  over  all  other  Positive  Pictures. 

CHAPTER  III— The  Ferrotype  Gallery, 

CHAPTER  IV— The  Glass  Room, . 

List  of  Requisites  of  Glass  Room— Construction 
of  Glass  Room— Top  Light,  effect  of— Side  Light- 
Advantages  of  Combined  Top  and  Side  Light- 
Devices  to  Exclude  Sunlight^Best  Method  of 
Shading  Light— The  Camera  Stand— Camera 
Boxes— Care  of  Plate-holder— Posing  Chair- 
Head  Rests— Curtain  Supports— Copying  Stand- 
Table  and  Table  Cover— Ottomans— Finishing 
Stand— Varnish. 

CHAPTER  V— The  Dark  Room,  .... 

Its  Contents— Construction  of  the  Sink. 

CHAPTER  VI— Collodion,  ...  .  . 

How  to  Prepare  Gun  Cotton— Proper  Solvents  for 
Gun  Cotton— Direction  for  Selection  of  Ether 
and  Alcohol— Excitants— Choice  of  Excitants— 
Bingham’s  Formula  for  Double  Iodides  and 

(iii) 


PAGE 

11-22 

22-26 

26-28 

28-51 


51-55 

56-08 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


Bromides— Bingham’s  Collodion— Formulas  for 
Standard  Ferrotype  Collodion— Preservation 
and  Restoration  of  Collodion — Harmony  of  Bath 
and  Collodion— Flowing  Collodion. 

CHAPTER  VII— Silver, . 69-85 

Historical  Account  of  Metallic  Silver — Nitrate  of 
Silver— How  to  Prepare— Precipitation  and  Re¬ 
duction  of  Nitrate  of  Silver— Preparation  of  a 
Silver  Solution— Disturbing  Elements  of  Silver 
Solution— Free  Iodide— How  to  Restore  an  Old 
Bath— Saving  of  Silver  Wastes— Bath  Dishes. 

CHAPTER  VIII— Developer  and  Development,  .  86-101 

Protosulphite  of  Iron— Its  Action  upon  Nitrate 
of  Silver— Various  Acids  Used  in  Developer- 
Acetic  Acid— Production  of— Its  Use— Alcohol 
and  its  Use  in  Development— Essential  Quali¬ 
ties— Formula  for  Developer— Importance  of 
the  Study  of  Development— Fixing  Solution. 

CHAPTER  IX— The  Collodion  Process,  .  .  .  101-113 

Coating  Plates—  Exposure  — Development— Fix¬ 
ing—  Drying— Finishing. 

CHAPTER  X— Fog,  and  other  Causes  of  Failure,  114-122 
Necessity  of  Adoption  of  Processes  Recommend¬ 
ed— Important  Trio  of  Essential  Parts  in  Collo¬ 
dion  Process— Impurity  of  Chemicals— Fog- 
Comets— Free  Iodide— Perpendicular  Lines— 
Horizontal  Lines -Crapy  Appearance  of  Film- 
White  Spots— Fan -shaped  Marks— Slipping  of 
the  Film— Scum— Oily  Spots  or  Lines— Stains — 

Finger  Marks— Necessity  of  Cleanliness. 

CHAPTER  XI— Composition  and  Illumination,  .  123-140 
General  Ignorance  of  the  Subject— Responsibility 
of  the  Operator— Necessity  for  Pictorial  Effect— 


CONTENTS, 


V 


PAGE 

Art  as  Applied  to  Photography—  Posing— Posi¬ 
tion  of  Camera — Draperies — Subserviency  of 
Accessories  to  Likeness — Directions  for  Hand¬ 
ling  Sitters— Illumination— Effects  of  Different 
Lights — Top  Light— -Side  Light — Top  and  Side 
Lights  Combined— Examples— Composition  of 
Groups. 

CHAPTER  XII— Vignettes,  Medaddions,  etc.,  .  141-148 
Original  Methods  of  Making  Vignettes— Method 
now  in  Use— Description  of  Vignettes — Medal¬ 
lion  Ferrotype,  How  to  Make. 

NON-REVERSED  FERROTYPES, . 153-160 

THE  NON-REVERSED  MEDALLION  FERROTYPE,  161-163 

ADDENDA— Weights  and  Measures,  ....  164-167 
Table  of  Enlargements— Thermometer  Scales — 
Formula  to  Remove  Silver  Stains— Sizes  of 
Camera  Plates. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/ferrotypehowtoma00esta_2 


PUBLISHERS’  PREFACE. 


We  do  not  feel  that  we  have  any  apology  to  make  to  the 
profession  for  the  publication  of  this  work ;  on  the  contrary, 
our  only  regret  is  that  we  did  not  undertake  it  a  year  or 
two  ago.  For  the  past  ten  years,  so  much  attention  has 
been  given  to  the  Photograph,  that  the  merits  of  the  Fer¬ 
rotype  have  been  ignored  as  far  as  possible.  Books  have 
been  issued  one  after  another  devoted  to  the  negative,  and 
printing  and  toning*  and  cameras,  printing  frames,  and 
apparatus  have  been  constructed  especially  to  aid  in  pro¬ 
ducing  the  paper  picture.  Nearly  all  effort  and  thought 
has  run  in  this  one  direction. 

About  three  years  ago  we  observed  many  signs  of  dissat¬ 
isfaction  with  the  Photograph.  In  spite  of  all  declarations 
that  it  would  not  fade,  nearly  all  that  were  made  for  the 
public  soon  lost  their  value  as  a  likeness  or  a  work  of  art. 
The  people  began  to  want  something  better  and  more  per¬ 
manent,  and  we  found  in  our  orders  a  strong  and  increas¬ 
ing  demand  for  Ferrotype  goods.  Manufacturers  of  appa¬ 
ratus  found  it  was  for  their  interest  to  improve  the  Multi¬ 
plying  Camera.  New  styles  and  designs  of  mounting  cards 
have  been  introduced.  Dealers  have  found  it  difficult  to  keep 
sufficient  stock  to  supply  the  demand.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  amount  now  in  use,  we  received  at  one  house,  but  a 
short  time  ago,  nearly  two  tons  of  plates  in  one  shipment, 
and  we  are  selling  at  this  time  about  as  many  goods  for  the 
Ferrotype  as  for  the  Photograph, 

With  such  a  state  of  affairs,  it  is  apparent  to  all  that  a 
book  of  instruction  on  this  subject  is  greatly  needed,  and 
we  claim  to  be  the  first  who  proposed  publishing  such  a 

(vii) 


viii  Publishers’  Preface. 

work.  Since  it  has  been  announced,  we  have  received  so 
many  orders  from  all  parts  of  the  continent,  that  we  are 
more  than  ever  satisfied  of  the  wisdom  of  its  publication. 

One  word  about  the  delay  in  its  appearance.  Our  author, 
Mr.  Estabrooke,  was  not  willing  the  book  should  be  is¬ 
sued  until  he  had  thoroughly  worked  up  the  subject  in  all 
its  bearings.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  unavoidable  delay 
in  getting  the  early  history  as  complete  as  we  desired  it. 
Mr.  V.  M.  Griswold,  who  was  preparing  an  account  of  his 
invention  and  introduction  of  the  Ferro-plate  for  this 
work,  was  taken  sick  and  died  after  a  short  illness,  when  it 
was  nearly  completed.  We  regard  the  items  he  contributed 
as  adding  greatly  to  the  value  of  this  work,  and  believe  all 
will  rejoice  that  the  information  he  possessed  has  been 
saved.  Other  parties,  who  were  able  to  give  us  interesting 
incidents  delayed  their  answers,  so  that  it  is  the  historical 
part  which  has  hindered  us.  This  has  given  the  author  bet¬ 
ter  opportunities  to  arrange  and  collate  his  facts  and  in¬ 
struction,  and  we  are  confident  the  value  of  the  book  is 
much  increased  by  the  delay.  We  hope  it  may  greatly  aid 
and  improve  the  production  of  the  beautiful  and  enduring 
Ferrotype. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


PUBLISHERS’  PREFACE 


TO  THE  FOURTH  EDITION. 


The  former  editions  of  this  work  having  been  ex¬ 
hausted,  the  undersigned,  into  whose  possession  the 
copyright  has  fallen,  have  thought  it  desirable,  in  view 
of  the  extent  to  which  the  Ferrotype  is  used,  to  issue 
a  fourth  edition,  which  will  be  improved  to  the  reader 
by  means  of  a  concluding  chapter,  wherein  any  im¬ 
provements  in  the  art  of  making  ferrotypes  will  be 
detailed.  Some  remarks  in  reference  to  matters  alluded 
to  in  former  editions,  which,  in  consequence  of  lapse 
of  time  and  subsequent  changes,  are  inaccurate,  will 
also  be  found. 


THE  PUBLISHEES. 


•  - ;  • 


THE  FERROTYPE 


AND  HOW  TO  MAKE  IT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Positive  Photography  embraces  all  that  class 
of  pictures  made  by  the  action  of  light  through  a 
camera  lens  on  prepared  sensitized  surfaces,  such 
as  Daguerreotype,  Ambrotvpe,  and  the  Ferrotype. 

The  term  is  also  used  to  designate  that  branch 
of  Photography  more  generally  denominated 
“  printing,”  or  the  action  of  light  through  a  neg¬ 
ative  on  sensitized  paper. 

The  sense  in  which  we  shall  use  it,  will  be  to 
distinguish  that  class  of  pictures  which  are  made 
directly  in  the  camera,  from  the  ordinary  photo¬ 
graph.  We  call  an  Ambrotype  a  positive  pict¬ 
ure,  to  distinguish  it  from  a  negative,  which  is, 
after  all,  only  an  Ambrotype  over-timed  and  over¬ 
developed  ;  but  that  excess  of  development  com¬ 
pletely  changes  the  character  of  the  resulting 
image. 

The  chief  characteristics  of  positive  pictures 
are,  ease  and  facility  of  production,  beauty  and 

(11) 


12 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


delicacy  of  chemical  effect  and  tone,  and,  (accord¬ 
ing  to  the  surface  on  which  made,)  their  compli¬ 
mentary  tendency. 

The  Daguerreotype,  to  this  day,  is  a  marvel  of 
beauty  and  delicacy,  because  of  the  fine  and  pol¬ 
ished  surface  on  which  it  is  made,  giving  brilliant 
contrasts  of  light  and  shade,  and  an  unapproach¬ 
able  delicacy  and  finish  to  the  whole  picture. 

The  Ambrotype  would  probably  be  equal  to 
the  Daguerreotype  in  all  points  but  for  the  lack 
of  brilliancy  caused  by  the  absorption  of  light  by 
collodion  film  and  the  glass  on  which  the  pict¬ 
ure  is  made. 

While  the  Ferrotype,  however,  approaches 
nearer  the  Daguerreotype  in  all  its  points  of  ex¬ 
cellence  than  any  other  picture  of  its  kind,  it  is 
still  inferior  in  brilliancy  to  the  latter,  for  the 
reason  that  its  surface  is  not  finely  polished,  it  is 
less  opaque,  the  varnished  collodion  surface  will 
not  reflect  light  so  perfectly  as  the  polished  sil¬ 
ver  ;  but  while  it  is  not  equal  to  the  Daguerreo¬ 
type  in  that  respect,  it  has  compensatory  advan¬ 
tages  which  have  placed  it  far  in  advance  of  any 
other  product  in  positive  photography. 

The  same  excellencies  that  were  claimed  for 
the  beautiful  productions  of  Daguerre,  are  now 
claimed  for  the  Ferrotype  in  conjunction  with 
other  advantages,  among  which  may  be  men¬ 
tioned  rapidity  of  production,  greater  portabil¬ 
ity,  adaptation  to  far  more  extended  use,  and  last 
but  not  least,  cheapness — these  qualities  have 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


13 


made  the  Ferrotype  the  picture  for  the  million, 
for  while  a  Ferrotypist  can  produce  pictures 
combining  and  exhibiting  all  the  excellencies 
which  distinguished  the  most  artistic  productions 
of  photography,  there  will  not  lack  the  culti¬ 
vated  and  refined  to  admire  the  picture  and  pat¬ 
ronize  the  artist — and  while  a  number  of  such 
pictures  can  be  made  and  finished  to  the  waiting 
customer,  there  will  be  many  hurried  business 
men,  impatient  travelers,  anxious  to  catch  a 
train,  friends  about  to  part,  and  others,  to  whom 
occasions  and  circumstances  render  a  likeness  ob¬ 
tainable,  at  once,  desirable ;  keeping  the  gallery 
thronged,  and  amply  rewarding  the  skillful  op¬ 
erator. 

While  likenesses  can  be  produced  at  a  trifling 
cost,  there  will  be  thousands  in  the  humbler 
walks  of  life  desirous  of  gratifying  that  univer¬ 
sal  passion,  the  craving  to  possess  some  memento 
of  the  passing  moment  in  this  world  of  change. 
The  desire  to  perpetuate  the  face  and  form  upon 
which  Time  is  day  by  day  doing  its  marvelous  and 
changeful  work — so  long,  I  say,  as  these  feel¬ 
ings,  desires,  and  circumstances  exist  and  exert 
an  influence  on  our  lives,  so  long  will  the  Ferro¬ 
type  be  a- popular  picture;  and  ever  increasingly 
so,  as  population  shall  multiply,  as  time  shall 
cause  separation  and  changes,  as  families  shall  be 
broken  up  and  scattered  over  this  broad  land,  and 
in  fine,  while  Death,  the  destroyer,  shall  remain 
in  our  midst,  taking  from  us  the  dear  ones  we 


14 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


love,  the  noble  ones  we  respect,  and  the  great, 
who  are  the  pride  and  admiration  of  the  country. 

Time,  while  working  all  these  changes,  shall 
increase  our  knowledge,  add  skill  to  the  artist, 
and  improve  the  artistic  taste  and  judgment  ol  the 
people — but  it  is  very  doubtful  if  time  shall  pro¬ 
duce  any  other  style  of  portraiture  which  shall 
supersede  the  Ferrotype,  or  reduce  it  to  a  lower 
place  than  its  present  high  position  in  popular  es¬ 
timation. 

The  productions  of  Positive  Photography  are 
all  of  them  famous?  The  Daguerreotype,  as  the 
first,  had  a  brief  but  triumphant  day.  It  made 
its  advent  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world, 
and  excited  as  much  admiration,  perhaps,  as  did 
the  telegraph,  in  the  minds  of  the  people;  it  was 
welcomed  as  a  greater  boon  to  the  masses  than  was 
the  telegraph,  but  unlike  the  telegraph,  which 
remains  to  us  at  this  day,  substantially  as  the  la¬ 
mented  Morse  sent  it,  to  do  its  work  of  annihila¬ 
ting  time,  the  Daguerreotype  has  passed  from 
popular  favor,  has  been  superseded  by  other 
methods  of  portraiture  as  far  ahead  of  it  as  it 
was  in  advance  of  the  productions  of  the  itiner¬ 
ant  miniature  painters  or  silhouette  cutters. 

It  is  unnecessary  that  any  account  of  the  or¬ 
igin  of  the  Daguerreotype  process  should  be  given 
in  this  connection,  but  it  might  furnish  interest¬ 
ing  matter  for  thought  to  readers ;  therefore  we 
copy  the  following  from  an  authentic  English 
publication,  which  occupies  on  the  shelves  of  our 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


15 


libraries,  the  place  of  greatest  convenience  and 
access. 

Photography  may  be  said  to  date  its  origin 
from  the  time  of  Baptista  Porta,  who  invented 
the  camera  obscura  in  the  16th  century.  Between 
this  period  and  the  time  of  Wedge  wood  and 
Davy,  only  a  few  isolated  facts  bearing  upon  the 
subject  were  brought  to  light  at  intervals.  It 
would  profit  but  little  to  notice  these  in  the  order 
in  which  they  occurred,  but  it  is  nevertheless  in¬ 
teresting  to  observe  in  all  great  discoveries  how 
small  are  the  beginnings,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
perusal  of  the  following  account  of  Wedge  wood’s 
discovery.  The  property  possessed  by  the  salts 
of  silver,  when  decomposed  by  the  action  of  light, 
was  well  known  to  the  earlier  chemists,  and  M. 
Charles,  a  well  known  French  physician,  exhibited 
in  his  lectures  at  the  Louvre,  a  paper  capable  of 
taking  silhouette  figures  by  the  action  of  solar 
light,  but  he  has  left  no  account  of  his  process.  Mr. 
Wedge  wood,  therefore,  was  undoubtedly  the  first 
person  who  recorded  his  attempts  to  use  the  sun¬ 
beams  for  Photographic  printing.  In  the  year 
1802  he  published  a  paper  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Boyal  Institution,  which  he  described  as  “  an  ac- 
“  count  of  a  method  of  copying  paintings  upon 
“  glass,  and  making  profiles  by  the  agency  of 
“light  upon  nitrate  of  silver;  with  observations 
“  by  H.  Davy,”  a  gentleman  afterward  better 
known  as  Sir  Humphrey  Davy.  From  this  pa¬ 
per  the  earliest  we  are  acquainted  with,  in  which 


16 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


the  discovery  of  .  these  processes  present  them¬ 
selves,  the  following  extracts  are  taken  :  “  White 
paper,  or  white  leather  moistened  with  a  solu¬ 
tion  of  nitrate  of  silver  undergoes  no  change 
when  kept  in  the  dark  ;  but  on  being  exposed  to 
the  daylight,  it  speedily  changes  color,  and  after 
passing  through  different  shades  of  gray  and 
brown,  becomes  at  length  nearly  black.  The  al¬ 
teration  of  color  takes  place  more  speedily  in 
proportion,  as  the  light  is  more  intense.  In  the 
direct  beam  of  the  sun,  two  or  three  minutes  are 
sufficient  to  produce  the  full  effect,  in  the  shade, 
several  hours  are  required,  and  a  light  transmit¬ 
ted  through  different  colored  glasses  act  with  dif¬ 
ferent  degrees  of  intensity.  Thus  it  is  found 
that  red  rays  have  very  little  effect  upon  it ;  yel¬ 
low  and  green  are  more  effective,  but  violet  or 
blue  produce  the  most  powerful  effects. 

u  When  the  shadow  of  any  figure  is  thrown 
upon  the  prepared  surface,  the  part  concealed  by 
it  remains  white,  and  the  other  parts  speedily  be- 
CQme  dark.  For  copying  paintings  on  glass,  the 
solution  should  be  applied  on  leather,  and  in  this 
case,  it  is  more  readily  acted  on  than  when  pa¬ 
per  is  used.  After  color  has  been  once  fixed  on 
the  leather  or  paper,  it  can  not  be  removed  by  the 
application  of  water,  or  water  and  soap,  and  it 
is  in  a  high  degree  permanent.  The  copy  of  a 
painting  or  the  profile  immediately  taken,  must 
be  placed  in  an  obscure  place;  it  may,  indeed, 
be  examined  in  the  shade,  but  in  this  case,  the 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY. 


17 


exposure  should  be  only  for  a  few  minutes;  by 
the  lights  of  candles  or  lamps,  as  commonly  em¬ 
ployed,  it  is  not  sensibly  affected.  No  attempt 
that  has  been  made  to  prevent  the  uncolored 
parts  of  the  copy  or  profile  being  acted  on  by  the 
light,  have  as  yet  been  successful.  They  have 
been  covered  by  a  coating  of  fine  varnish,  but 
this  has  not  destroyed  their  susceptibility  of  be¬ 
coming  colored,  and  even  after  repeated  washings, 
sufficient  of  the  active  part  will  adhere  to  the 
white  parts  of  the  leather  or  paper  to  cause  them 
to  become  dark  when  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  Besides  the  applications  of  this  method  of 
copying  that  has  just  been  mentioned,  there  are 
many  others,  and  it  will  be  useful  in  making  de¬ 
lineations  of  all  such  objects  as  are  possessed  of 
a  texture,  partly  opaque  and  partly  transparent. 
The  woody  fibers  of  leaves,  and  the  wings  of  in¬ 
sects  may  be  pretty  accurately  represented  by 
means  of  it,  and  in  this  case  it  is  only  necessary 
to  cause  the  direct  solar  light  to  pass  through 
them,  and  to  receive  the  shadows  on  leather. 

“  The  image  formed  by  means  of  a  camera  ob- 
scura  have  been  found  to  be  too  faint  to  produce 
in  any  moderate  time,  an  effect  upon  the  nitrate 
of  silver.”  To  copy  these  images  was  the  first  ob¬ 
ject  of  Mr.  Wedgewood  in  his  researches  on  the 
subject,  and  for  the  purpose  he  first  used  nitrate 
of  silver,  which  was  mentioned  to  him  by  a 
friend  as  a  substance  very  sensible  to  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  light,  but  all  his  numerous  experiments 
2 


1.8 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


as  to  their  primary  end  proved  unsuccessful.  “  In 
following  these  processes,  I  have  iound  that  the 
image  of  small  objects,  produced  by  means  of  the 
solar  microscope,  may  be  copied  without  diffi¬ 
culty  on  prepared  paper.  This  will  probably  be 
a  useful  application  of  this  method ;  that  it  may 
be  employed  successfully,  however,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  paper  be  placed  at  but  a  small  distance 
from  the  lens.” 

Here  we  have  the  first  indication  of  this  great 
discovery.  Subsequently,  about  the  years  1810- 
11,  Seebeck  made  some  interesting  discoveries  as 
to  the  production  of  color  on  chloride  of  silver  by 
solar  radiations ;  the  violet  rays  rendering  it 
brown,  the  blue  producing  a  shade  of  blue,  the 
yellow  preserving  it  white,  and  the  red  constantly 
giving  a  red  shade  to  the  salt. 

Berard’s  Discovery. — In  the  year  1812,  M. 
Berard,  brought  the  result  of  some  valuable  re¬ 
searches  before  a  commission,  composed  of  MM. 
Bcrthollet,  Chaptal,  and  Biot,  who  state  in  their 
report  that  M.  Berard  had  discovered  that  the 
chemical  intensity  was  greatest  at  the  violet  end 
of  the  spectrum,  and  that  it  extended  as  Ritter, 
and  Wollaston  had  previously  observed,  a  little 
beyond  that  extremity  where  he  left  substances 
exposed  for  a  certain  time  to  the  action  of  each 
ray:  he  observed  sensible  effects,  though  with  an 
intensity  continually  decreasing  in  the  indigo  and 
blue  rays.  Hence,  they  considered  it  as  ex¬ 
tremely  probable  that  if  he  had  been  able  to  em- 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHY.  19 

ploy  agents  still  more  sensible,  he  would  have 
observed  analogous  effects.  To  show  plainly  the 
great  disproportion  which  exists  in  this  respect 
between  the  energies  of  different  colored  rays,  M. 
Berard,  concentrated  by  means  of  a  lens,  all  that 
part  of  a  spectrum  which  extends  from  the  green 
to  the  extreme  violet;  he  also  concentrated  by 
another  lens  all  that  portion  which  extended 
from  the  green  to  the  extremity  of  the  red ;  this 
last  pencil  formed  a  white  so  brilliant  that  the 
eyes  were  scarcely  able  to  endure  it,  yet  the  ni¬ 
trate  of  silver  remained  exposed  more  than  two 
hours  to  this  brilliant  point  of  light  without  un¬ 
dergoing  any  sensible  alteration.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  exposed  to  the  other  rays,  which  were 
much  less  bright  and  less  hot,  it  was  blackened  in 
less  than  six  minutes.  After  some  further  re¬ 
marks  on  the  importance  of  M.  Berard’s  experi¬ 
ments  they  proceed  as  follows :  “  If  we  consider 
solar  light  as  composed  of  three  distinct  sub¬ 
stances,  one  of  which  occasions  light ,  the  other 
heat,  and  the  third  chemical  combinations,  it  will 
follow  that  each  of  these  substances  is  separable 
by  the  prism  into  the  infinity  of  different  modi¬ 
fications  like  light  itself;  since  we  find  by  ex¬ 
periment  that  each  of  these  properties  is  spread, 
though  unequally,  over  a  certain  extent  of  the 
spectrum,  and  we  must  suppose  on  that  hypothe¬ 
sis,  that  there  exists  three  spectrums,  one  above 
the  other ;  namely,  a  Calorific,  a  Colorific,  and  a 
Chemical  Spectrum.  We  must  likewise  admit 


20 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


that  each  of  the  substances  which  compose  the 
three  spectrums,  and  even  each  molecule  of  un¬ 
equal  refrangibility  which  constituted  these  sub¬ 
stances  is  endowed,  like  the  molecules  of  visi¬ 
ble  light,  with  the  property  of  being  polarized 
by  reflection,  and  of  escaping  from  reflection  in 
the  same  positions  as  the  luminous  molecules.” 

From  that  time  numerous  experiments  were 
conducted  by  several  eminent  researchers,  includ¬ 
ing  the  discoveries  of  the  more  celebrated  MM. 
Niepce  and  Daguerre. 

Daguerre  and  Niepce’s  Discovery. — To 
the  inventive  genius  of  these  gentlemen  we  are 
indebted  for  the  first  application  of  this  great  dis¬ 
covery,  but,  like  most  great  conceptions  of  the 
human  mind,  this  art,  as  we  have  seen,  advanced 
by  slow  steps,  and  was  indicated  from  time  to 
time  by  the  isolated  facts  we  have  briefly  al¬ 
luded  to. 

The  researches  of  M.  Niepce  were  commenced 
in  1814,  but  it  was  not  till  1826  that  he  was 
made  aware  by  the  indiscretion  of  an  optician 
employed  by  both,  that  M.  Daguerre  was  pursu¬ 
ing  the  same  course  of  experiments.  A  corre¬ 
spondence  between  the  two  philosophers  was  the 
result,  and  henceforth  their  researches  were  pur¬ 
sued  in  common,  and,  some  years  later,  resulted 
in  the  discovery  of  this  branch  of  the  art,  since 
known  as  the  Daguerreotype. 

In  1833  M.  Niepce  died,  having  communicated 
all  his  discoveries  to  M.  Daguerre,  and  in  1839 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGKAPHY. 


21 


that  gentleman,  with  a  most  laudible  abnegation 
of  self,  communicated  his  discoveries  to  the  pub¬ 
lic. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Daguerreotype  picture 
receives  its  name  from  one  of  its  discoverers;  it 
is  taken  on  a  copper  plate  with  a  silvered  surface. 
We  have  seen  that  the  paper  process  and  after¬ 
ward  the  glass-plates,  coated  with  various  or¬ 
ganic  substances,  have  greatly  superseded  the 
silvered  plate,  especially  in  this  country ;  but  as  a 
branch  of  photographic  art  it  forms  an  interest¬ 
ing  chapter. 

The  beautiful  process  by  which  the  Daguerreo¬ 
type  picture  is  obtained  was  published  to  the 
world  in  July,  1839,  after  the  French  Govern¬ 
ment  of  the  day  had  rewarded  M.  Daguerre  with 
a  pension  of  6,000  francs,  and  M..  Isidore  Niepce, 
the  son  of  Daguerre’s  colleague  in  the  discovery, 
with  another  of  4,000  francs,  with  a  reversion  of 
one-half  to  their  widows ;  a  liberal  endowment, 
worthy  of  imitation  on  the  part  of  any  enlight¬ 
ened  government. 

Then  follows  a  very  lengthy  and  minutely  par¬ 
ticular  account  of  the  process  for  making  Da¬ 
guerreotypes,  which  would  prove  of  no  interest 
to  the  readers  of  this  work. 

Of  the  Ambrotvpe,  it  is  not  necessary  to  say 
more  than  that  it,  like  the  Ferrotype,  is  made  by 
the  collodion  process — the  first  on  glass,  the  lat¬ 
ter  on  Japanned  iron — the  history  of  the  inven¬ 
tion  and  manufacture  of  which  is  given  else- 


22 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


where  as  being  in  harmony  with  the  purposes  of 
this  book. 

As  it  is  the  intention  of  the  writer  that  the  be¬ 
ginner  shall  find  in  these  pages  every  thing  that 
may  be  useful  for  him  to  know,  in  order  that  he 
may  produce  good  work,  we  shall  proceed  to  a 
careful  description  of  the  processes  and  manipu¬ 
lations  pertaining  to  the  Ferrotype  in  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  FERROTYPE. 

From  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  the  col¬ 
lodion  process  and  photography  on  glass  by 
Messrs.  Archer  and  Horne  of  England,  no  one 
invention  or  discovery  has  given  a  greater  impe¬ 
tus  to  the  art,  than  the  introduction  of  the  Me- 
lanotype  or  Ferrotype  plate  in  the  years  1856-57. 

The  Ambrotype,  which  at  that  time  held  the 
field,  was  not  calculated  for  a  very  extended  use¬ 
fulness,  from  the  heavy,  brittle  nature  of  the 
substance  (glass)  on  which  it  was  made.  In 
fact,  Ambrotypes  were  only  suitable  for  cases  and 
small  frames,  not  at  all  for  many  of  the  pur¬ 
poses  that  make  the  chief  demand  of  the  Ferro¬ 
type. 

The  brittle  character  of  glass,  also  unfitted  it 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


23 


as  a  vehicle  for  a  picture,  which,  however  little 
it  may  have  cost  originally,  there  are  so  many 
contingencies  under  which  its  value  to  the  owner 
might  become  incalculable,  not  in  money  or  other 
earthly  dross,  but  as  the  last  memento  of  one,  in 
whose  existence  might  have  centered  the  hopes 
and  aspirations  of  many  tender  hearts,  and  upon 
whom  may  have  been  lavished  the  holiest  and 
tenderest  feelings  of  our  nature. 

Again,  glass,  besides  being  brittle  in  its  nature, 
is  heavy  and  bulky,  and,  in  consequence,  was 
not  suitable  for  other  than  small  miniatures, 
such  as  were  destined  to  be  put  in  small  cases  or 
frames,  to  be  carried  on  the  person  or  to  lie  on 
the  parlor  table  or  mantel-piece.  How  many  a 
happy  home  there  is,  upon  whose  table  may  be 
found  these  tokens  of  friendship  or  love,  and 
how  much  better  would  it  be  if  those  Ambrotypes 
could  be  transformed  into  the  imperishable  Ferro¬ 
type,  and  placed  in  the  elegant  parlor  picture 
album,  thus  placing  them  almost  above  the  power 
of  accident  or  the  possibility  of  loss. 

Many  of  the  readers  of  these  pages,  who,  like 
the  writer,  made  Ambrotypes  on  white  and  after¬ 
ward  on  colored  glass,  will  recollect  how  rapidly 
the  glass  plate  gave  way  before  the  advancing 
popularity  of  the  Ferrotype,  which,  in  a  short 
time,  entirely  superseded  its  older  rival,  and  at 
this  present  time  bids  fair  to  excel  every  other 
branch  of  the  art  in  the  amount  and  magnitude 
of  the  interests  involved  in  its  production. 


24 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


The  Ferrotype,  when  first  introduced,  merely 
took  the  place  of  the  Ambrotype  and  other  posi¬ 
tive  pictures;  that  is,  they  were  made  and  fitted 
in  cases  and  frames,  etc.,  in  precisely  the  same 
manner  as  the  Ambrotype,  Daguerreotype,  etc., 
had  been  before,  but  for  the  Ferrotype  there 
were  possibilities  of  usefulness  and  application 
that  were  not  open  to  its  less  fortunate  predeces¬ 
sors. 

There  soon  began  to  be  a  demand  for  them  for 
other  purposes  than  to  enclose  in  cases,  frames, 
etc.  The  lightness  of  the  plate  and  the  ability 
of  the  finished  pictures  to  resist  the  effects  of 
light,  of  dampness,  and  of  friction,  without  any 
protection  to  the  surface  other  than  varnish, 
fitted  them  to  be  carried  on  the  person  without 
cases,  and  made  it  possible  to  send  them  to 
friends  at  a  distance  through  the  Post-office,  for 
which  purpose  many  were  made  and  called 
“  Letter-types/’  They  also  became  very  popular 
as  miniatures  for  lockets,  pins,  rings,  etc.,  for 
which  purposes  the  extreme  thinness  of  the  plate 
made  them  peculiarly  well  adapted,  while  the 
brilliancy  and  beauty  of  the  picture  gives  them 
the  first  place  in  adaptation  to  such  purposes. 

In  the  shape  and  size  of  the  “  cartes  de  visite” 
or  album  picture,  they  also  soon  became  im¬ 
mensely  popular — in  this  size  and  also  that  of 
the  larger  card,  the  “  Imperial/7  the  most  beauti¬ 
ful  and  brilliant  effects  are  capable  of  being  pro¬ 
duced;  so  much  so,  that  when  on  the  occasion  of 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


25 


the  meeting  of  the  “  National  Photographer’s 
Convention/’  in  Philadelphia,  in  1871,  the  writer 
exhibited  in  a  very  quiet  manner  an  album  full 
of  his  productions  in  these  two  sizes  they  ex¬ 
cited  the  utmost  admiration,  and  increased  im¬ 
mensely  the  respect  of  some  of  the  members  for 
the  Ferrotype. 

But  it  was  in  the  shape  of  the  “  Gem”  Ferro¬ 
type  that  the  greatest  number  of  these  pictures 
have  been  •  sold.  These  “Gems”  are  made  by 
the  multiplying  camera  with  four  or  more  lenses, 
and  two  or  more  consecutive  exposures,  and  they 
differ  in  size  from  that  of  sixteen  on  a  quarter 
plate  to  four  on  the  same.  They  are  made  very 
quickly  and  sold  very  cheaply,  ranging  from  ten 
cents  the  dozen,  unmounted,  to  fifty  cents  with 
paper  mounts. 

The  writer  has  made  of  these,  with  his  own 
hands,  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty  dozen 
in  one  day,  and  sold  every  dozen  at  fifty  cents, 
never  having  before  or  since  sold  a  dozen  for 
less. 

These  pictures  have  a  peculiar  interest  to  the 
children,  and  in  the  cities  it  is  impossible  to 
compute  the  number  or  quantities  which  have 
been  made  and  sold  since  1860.  I  suppose  it 
would  exceed  that  of  all  other  pictures  put  to¬ 
gether. 

As  a  branch  of  Photography,  the  production 
of  Ferrotypes  has  now  attained  to  such  magni¬ 
tude  that  large  establishments  are  fitted  up  and 


26 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


exclusively  devoted  to  the  production  of  this 
popular  picture — for  the  information  of  those 
about  to  open  galleries  for  Ferrotypes  or  any 
other  branch  of  Photography,  we  propose  to 
describe  such  an  establishment,  and  to  give  an 
account  of  the  collodion  process  as  applied  to 
Ferrotypes. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  FERROTYPE  GALLERY 

Requires  a  Reception  Room  or  salesroom  fitted 
up  for  the  reception  of  customers  and  for  the  sale 
of  the  productions  of  the  gallery,  as  also  cases, 
fiames,  and  such  other  articles  as  are  usually 
sold  in  establishments  of  this  kind.  There 
should  be  a  counter  show-case  in  which  to  expose 
such  articles,  with  sample  pictures,  etc.,  a  desk 
for  the  books  of  the  establishment,  chairs,  tables, 
etc.;  leading  from  this  should  be  a  dressing- 
room  for  ladies  and  another  for  gentlemen,  each 
appropriately  furnished  with  conveniences  of  the 
toilet,  such  as  basins  for  water,  mirrors,  combs, 
brushes,  etc.,  minute  details  of  which  are  un¬ 
necessary.  In  the  reception  room  some  means 
should  be  provided  for  the  entertainment  of 
customers  where  delays  occur,  or  when  kept 
waiting  by  others  occupying  the  attention  of  the 


THE  FERROTYPE  GALLERY. 


27 


artist — an  effort  to  keep  people  in  good  humor 
while  waiting,  always  produces  good  results  and 
pays  in  the  greater  facility  of  pleasing  them 
when  their  pictures  are  made.  For  this  purpose, 
the  walls  should  be  tastefully  decorated  with  the 
samples  of  the  best  productions  of  the  gallery. 
As  an  example,  some  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
artistic  work  in  this  country  may  be  seen  on  the 
walls  of  well-known  galleries  in  this  and  other 
cities.  The  reception  room  of  the  gallery  may 
be  rendered  pleasant,  delightfully  so,  by  this 
and  other  means,  such  as  a  centre-table  provided 
with  books,  papers,  and  magazines,  a  musical 
instrument,  a  stereoscope,  or  as  in  some  a  few 
pots  of  choice  flowers,  a  small  fountain  with 
fish,  an  aquarium,  or  a  few  song  birds.  Various 
means  are  adapted  to  this  purpose  according  to 
the  taste  and  culture  of  the  proprietor,  or  to  suit 
the  character  and  means  of  the  people  it  is  ex¬ 
pected  to  entertain  and  please. 

An  album  filled  with  choicest  examples  of  all 
the  different  sizes  of  Ferrotypes  may  be  kept  on 
the  show-case,  to  be  examined  by  customers  for 
sizes,  style,  and  price.  But,  above  all,  an  attent¬ 
ive  and  obliging  attendant  should  be  in  the  re¬ 
ception  room  to  receive  orders  and  wait  upon, 
talk  to,  and  keep  in  good  temper,  the  many  im¬ 
patient  ones  waiting  their  turn  in  the  posing 
chair. 

A  capable  person,  male  or  female,  can  earn 
their  own  salary  over  and  above  the  regular 


28 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


work  of  the  gallery  by  careful  attention  to 
customers  and  a  suggestion  now  and  then. 

The  Glass  or  Operating  Koom  comes  next, 
and  should  be  furnished  with 


Backgrounds, 
Camera  Stands, 
Lenses, 

Posing  Chairs, 
Copying  Stand, 
Curtain, 

Table, 


Reflectors, 

Camera  Boxes, 
Focussing  Glasses, 
Head  Rests, 

Head  Cloths, 
Curtain  Stand, 
Table  Cover, 


Ottomans, 


Finishing  Table,  provided  with  gas  or  naphtha 
stove  or  dryer,  varnish,  colors,  color  brushes, 
color  blender,  etc.,  etc. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  GLASS  ROOM. 

There  is  no  subject  which  so  greatly  con¬ 
cerns  the  F^rrotypist  as  the  construction  of  the 
Glass  Room,  or  operating  room,  as  it  is  more 
generally  denominated  in  this  country.  The 
construction  and  arrangement  of  the  Glass 
Room  depends  altogether  upon  the  judgment 
and  experience  of  the  Ferrotypist,  and  in  most 
cases  he  is  compelled  to  decide  as  to  the  proper 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


29 


shape  and  exposure  of  its  lights  or  windows 
without  outside  help  or  advice;  and  may  not,  as 
in  the  case  of  apparatus,  chemicals,  etc.,  pur¬ 
chase  ready-prepared  of  manufacturers  of  es¬ 
tablished  reputation. 

Those  operators  who  may  have  traveled  over 
the  country,  practicing  their  art  in  small  country 
towns  and  at  cross-roads,  sometimes  became  very 
ingenious  in  the  management  of  the  lights  of  an 
ordinary  window  in  a  country  tavern,  or  of  the 
no  less  difficult  light  of  a  canvass  tent  or  travel¬ 
ing  saloon  or  car.  This  class  of  operator  is 
never  at  a  loss  for  some  method  of  overcoming 
difficulties — they  are  fertile  in  expedients,  they 
understand  very  well  the  uses  of  paper  muslin 
and  other  fabrics  suitable  for  the  reflection  of 
light.  There  are  many,  however,  who  have 
never  been  compelled  to  learn  these  things  from 
so  expensive  a  teacher  as  experience,  and  there¬ 
fore  have  never  learned  how  much  depends  upon 
the  light  in  the  production  of  good  pictures,  and 
in  facilitating  the  operations  of  the  gallery. 

A  few  words  of  instruction  and  advice  will, 
therefore,  not  be  amiss  in  this  connection. 

In  the  construction  of  a  Glass  Room,  then, 
there  are  a  lew  things  to  be  taken  into  consider¬ 
ation,  viz.,  an  abundance  of  light,  in  order  that 
exposure  mav  be  short.  A  steady  light  least 
affected  by  shadows  and  clouds.  A  diffused 
light  excluding  direct  rays.  A  light  sufficiently 
elevated  to  soften  the  shadows  and  to  give  a 


30 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


more  even  illumination.  A  perpendicular  fall 
of  light  to  give  brilliancy  to  the  eye,  definition 
to  the  drapery,  etc.,  etc.  A  horizontal  light  .to 
give  strength  and  solidity,  and  to  soften  the 
shadows  under  the  chin,  nose,  eyebrows,  etc. 

A  light  which  will  permit  the  operator  to 
obtain  from  each  face  its  best  view  and  also  its 
most  characteristic  expression. 

A  light  which  can  be  modified  to  suit  the 
varying  requirements  of  different  faces,  and  can 
be  made  a  perpendicular,  horizontal,  or  oblique 
light  at  will ;  in  short,  a  light  which  will 
facilitate  a  regular  and  continued  success  on  the 
part  of  the  operator. 

There  are,  distinctively,  but  two  kinds  of 
lights,  viz.,  the  perpendicular  or  top  light  which 
comes  from  above,  and  the  horizontal  or  side 
light,  that  which  comes  from  an  opening  or 
window  in  the  side  of  a  perpendicular  wall. 

Neither  of  these  two  lights,  separately,  would 
meet  the  requirements  above  mentioned;  but 
when  built  together,  the  lower  end  of  the  top 
resting  upon  the  side  light,  they  compose  that 
particular  form  of  light  which  the  best  photog¬ 
raphers  all  over  the  country,  and  the  world,  per¬ 
haps,  have  generally  agreed  upon  as  the  best ; 
and  only  in  this  shape,  with  a  northern  expos¬ 
ure,  can  the  varied  requirements  already  specified 
be  fully  met. 

There  are  many  instances,  however,  of  the 
impossibility  of  securing  the  advantages  of  the 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


31 


“  Combined  ”  light.  In  many  “  out-of-the-way” 
places,  where  the  presence  of  the.  peripatetic 
photographer  is  a  blessing,  must  he  deny  him¬ 
self  the  profit  he  hopes  to  derive,  and  the 
happiness  he  expects  to  confer,  by  the  exercise 
of  his  art,  because  he  can  not  have  the  advanta¬ 
ges  of  the  best  style  of  light?  I  say,  no!  rather 
let  him  adapt  himself  to  the  circumstances,  and 
make  the  best  use  of  the  facilities  procurable, 
than  to  disappoint  a  community,  some  of  whom, 
the  meanest  effort  of  his  art  might  render  inex¬ 
pressibly  happy. 

It  is  certain  that  the  clever  operator  will 
sometimes  make  good  pictures  under  the  most 
unfavorable  circumstances;  in  many  cases  diffi¬ 
culties  only  stimulate  to  ingenuity  in  overcoming 
them,  and  in  no  instance  known  to  the  writer  is 
there  a  greater  demand  for  those  qualities  of  in¬ 
vention  and  ingenuity,  which  enables  their  pos¬ 
sessor  to  rise  superior  to  every  difficulty,  than  in 
the  practice  of  photography,  in  any  of  its  branches, 
under  a  small  top  light  or  beside  a  window  in 
some  lonely,  out-of-the-way  place,  where  the  peo¬ 
ple  are  all  sunburnt  and  rough-skinned,  and  even 
the  pretty  girls  are  sadly  tanned  by  exposure  to 
the  weather. 

The  effect  of  a  light  falling  from  above,  upon 
the  features  of  a  sitter  directly  under  it,  would 
be  to  exaggerate  the  projections  of  the  brows, 
cheek  bones,  and  nose,  rendering  the  eyes 
cavernous  or  deep  set,  and  throwing  heavy 


32 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


shadows  under  the  nose  and  chin ;  in  many 
cases,  the  shadow  under  the  chin  assuming  the 
shape  of  a  beard,  and  that  under  the  nose  might 
look  like  a  mustache  if  it  were  broader  and  more 
conformed  to  the  shape  of  the  lip.  Very  few 
operators  would,  however,  think  of  posing  a 
subject  directly  under  a  top  light — he  would 
shade  the  light,  if  it  was  plain  glass,  with  a 
white  muslin  curtain,  out  of  which  all  starch 
had  been  taken,  and  would  be  allowed  to  hang 
loosely  in  the  middle,  “  bagging  down,”  as  it  is 
called;  this  would  give  a  diffused  white  light; 
the  subject  to  be  lighted  would  be  seated  under 
the  ceiling,  very  near  the  opening  through  which 
the  light  falls  from  above.  Reflectors  of  paper 
muslin  or  glazed  cotton,  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
might  be  used  to  throw  a  reflected  light  wher¬ 
ever  required,  and  in  case  the  shadows  under  the 
eyebrows  and  nose  were  still  too  heavy  and  the 
cheeks  appeared  too  hollow,  a  screen  made  of 
heavy  paper  stretched  on  a  hoop  or  square  frame, 
might  be  held  over  the  head  to  intercept  a  por¬ 
tion  of  the  light  from  above,  care  being  taken 
not  to  spoil  the  catch-light,  or  small  point  of 
light  in  the  eye,  which  gives  brilliancy  to  that 
organ.  By  means  of  such  appliances  skillfully 
used,  very  good  work  may  be  produced,  and  great 
variety  of  effect  obtained.  Indeed,  the  authori¬ 
ties  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  much 
better  pictorial  effects  may  be  obtained  from  a 
top  light  skillfully  managed  than  from  a  side 


THE  GLASS  KOQM. 


33 


light,  however  capable  the  operator  may  be — 
and  yet  much  may  be  done  to  remedy  the  defects 
of  such  a  light  by  the  use  of  reflectors  within 
the  room  and  outside  the  window.  Upon  seat¬ 
ing  a  person  beside  a  window  with  one  side  ex¬ 
posed,  the  effect  produced  is  called  the  “hatchet” 
expression,  the  face  assuming  a  wedge-like  ap¬ 
pearance,  one  side  being  illuminated  and  the 
other  in  the  shade ;  the  illuminated  side  is 
flattened  by  the  strong  light,  and  the  opposite 
side  by  the  heavy  shadow.  Now,  it  would  be  as 
ridiculous  for  me  to  instance  such  an  effect  as  the 
best  that  could  be  procured  by  a  side  light,  as  to 
instance  the  deep-set  eyes,  the  hollow  cheeks,  and 
dense  shadows  under  the  projections  of  the  face, 
as  the  best  that  could  be  produced  by  a  top  light. 
These  effects  are  examples,  merely,  of  the  primary 
and  unmodified  effects  of  these  distinctive  lights. 
In  the  case  of  the  light  under  consideration, 
much  may  be  done  to  change  the  character  of 
the  “  hatchet  ”  expression,  and  to  remove  the 
unpleasant  cat-like  slit  of  light  in  the  eye  char¬ 
acteristic  of  the  side  light.  Outside  the  window 
a  reflector  may  be  placed  at  such  an  angle  as  to 
throw  the  light  in  an  inward  and  upward  direc¬ 
tion,  where  it  may  be  met  by  another  reflector, 
which  might  be  placed  so  as  to  throw  the  light 
downward  upon  the  sitter,  and  with  a  reflector, 
on  the  side  opposite  the  light,  the  character  of 
the  illumination  might  be  very  materially  im¬ 
proved.  By  seating  a  person  opposite  and  front- 
3 


34 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


ing  a  side  light  or  window,  an  illumination 
called  a  u  front  v  light  may  be  obtained,  by  some 
treated  as  a  distinct  variety  of  light,  but  which 
appears  to  me  to  be  only  another  application  of 
the  side  light.  In  combination  with  the  top 
light,  the  front  light  might  be  very  useful  in 
some  cases,  but  as  a  distinct  style  of  lighting  I 
can  not  conceive  how  it  could  ever  be  tolerated, 
as  its  effects  take  away  all  character  and  likeness 
from  the  face,  filling  the  eyes  with  light,  illumi¬ 
nating  every  line  and  depression  equally  with 
the  projections,  and  giving  a  flat  and  meaning¬ 
less  expression  to  all  faces  alike. 

There  may  be  circumstances  under  which  the 
Ferrotypist,  in  erecting  for  himself  a  glass  room, 
will  find  it  impossible  to  secure  the  combination 
of  top  and  side  light,  and  where  the  top,  or 
indeed  only  a  side  light  may  be  available.  In 


such  cases,  modified  forms  of  top  or  side  light, 
giving  a  much  more  favorable  illumination, 
might  be  adopted. 

We  give  in  diagrams  1,  2,  and  3,  views  of  the 
side  light,  the  top  light,  and  of  the  combined  top 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


35 


and  side  light;  the  double  lines  representing  the 
walls,  the  single  indicating  the  glazed  parts. 

Fig.  1  represents  by  the  single  line  on  the 
right  side  of  the  diagram,  the  side  light,  or  that 
form  of  light  which  can  be  used  as  a  side  or  front 
light,  a  few  hints  for  working  which,  have  already 
been  given. 

Fig.  2  shows  the  general  shape  of  a  top  light ; 
the  pitch  may  be  made  greater  or  less.  It  is 
perhaps  better  that  the  top  light  be  made  with 
considerable  pitch,  as  by  this  means  it  more  per¬ 
fectly  sheds  the  rainwater  and  we  obtain  a  more 
oblique  light.  In  small  towns,  and  in  the 
country,  where  the  roofs  of  houses  are  not  flat 
but  like  the  letter  A,  a  light  10  or  12  feet  square 
let  into  the  roof  makes  a  very  convenient  and 
satisfactory  light. 

Where  top  lights  are  erected,  the  top  of  the 
room  should  be  cut  away  so  as  leave  a  bevel  or 
slope,  from  the  sash  of  the  window,  widening  as 
it  descends,  to  the  ceiling  of  the  room,  so  as  to 
allow  the  light  to  spread  out,  particularly  on  that 
side  where  the  backgrounds  are  placed,  to  permit 
of  an  equal  illumination  of  the  ground  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top. 

Fig.  3  gives  a  view  of  the  top  and  side  com¬ 
bination,  than  which  no  form  of  light  is  better, 
and  none  other  should  be  adopted  where  circum¬ 
stances  will  permit.  It  is  of  equal  import¬ 
ance  that  the  side  window  should  face  the  north. 

The.  size  or  dimensions  of  the  lights 


are 


36 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


matters  of  no  great  importance  beyond  a  certain 
point;  that  is,  the  top  light  should  not  be  less 
than  twelve  feet  square,  the  side  being  of  the 
same  width,  extending  from  the  top  to  within  a 
foot  of  the  floor.  In  some  galleries  the  lights 
are  exceedingly  large,  such  as  a  length  of  40 
feet  with  a  breadth  of  20  feet  from  the  top,  amt 
an  equal  length  for  the  side — such  an  immense 
area  of  glass  is  superfluous,  as  indeed  may  be 
proved  by  work  made  in  glass  rooms  of  moderate 
size.  There  is  no  better  work  produced  than  in 
the  galleries  of  New  York,  in  no  one  of  which 
is  there  a  light  of  greater  dimensions  than  16 
feet,  and  some  of  the  best  have  even  less.  The 
light  used  by  Mr.  Kurtz,  of  New  York,  is  the 
combined  top  and  side  with  northern  exposure, 
the  top  being  placed  at  an  angle  of  45°,  is  10 
feet  square,  on  which  joins  the  side  light,  10  feet 
by  8  feet  extending  to  the  floor. 

While  the  northern  exposure  is  by  far  the  best 
for  photographic  purposes,  it  does  not,  nor  can  it 
be  constructed  so  as  to  exclude  the  sunlight; 
various  devices  have  been  resorted  to  by  different 
operators  to  obviate  this  difficulty,  among  which 
board  screens,  awnings  worked  by  pulleys  from 
the  inside,  and,  lately,  a  form  of  blind  similar  to 
the  common  outside  window  blinds  with  mova¬ 
ble  slats  has  been  adopted,  and  found  to  be  a 
success — the  slats  are  light  frames  of  wood, 
working  on  center  pivots,  and  covered  with 
muslin,  canvas,  or.  indeed,  made  entirely  of 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


37 


wood.  (A  good  description  of  such  an  apparatus 
may  be  found  in  the  “  Philadelphia  Photogra¬ 
pher/’  for  August,  1871,  page  269.)  By  the 
use  of  these  blinds,  sunlight  can  be  entirely  ex¬ 
cluded  by  setting  them  as  we  do  the  blinds  out¬ 
side  the  windows  of  our  residences,  so  as  to  in¬ 
tercept  the  sunlight  and  not  to  exclude  diffused 
light  and  air;  they  also  serve  the  purpose  of 
shading  the  glass  from  the  extreme  heat  of  the 
summer  sun. 

Heretofore,  one  great  difficulty  with  top  lights 
has  been  the  leakage;  indeed,  it  seemed  to  be 
almost  impossible  to  secure  a  perfectly  water¬ 
tight  Glass  Room,  until  some  ingenious  person  in 
Philadelphia  invented  the  sash,  named  after  the 
city  where  invented,  of  which  the  following  dia¬ 
gram  shows  an  end  view.  The  letter  A  shows 


B 


B 


A 

rvr  t/i 

c 


the  ridge  between  the  glass  in  which  the  fasten¬ 
ings  which  hold  the  glass  are  driven ;  on  each 
side  are  the  rests  or  supports  for  the  glass,  out¬ 
side  of  which  are  grooves  B,  B,  to  receive  the 
water  that  may  leak  through.  In  connection 
with  this  form  of  sash,  the  ends  of  the  glass 
should  be  cut  thus,  the  points  extending  upward, 


38 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


and  lapped  one  over  the  other  not  more  than  one 
quarter  of  an  inch;  by  cutting  the  glass  in  this 
manner,  the  water  is  caused  to  flow  toward  the 


sides  of  the  glass,  where  if  any  passes  through, 
it  falls  into  the  grooves  on  each  side  of  the  sash, 
and  is  carried  outside  and  falls  into  the  leader 
or  waste- pipe. 

The  best  method  of  shading  a  light  internally, 
is  by  narrow  frames  of  wood  or  iron  covered 
with  paper  or  blue  paper  muslin,  the  frames  or 
shades  to  be  each  about  one  foot  wide,  and 
fastened  on  pivots  at  each  end  so  as  to  be  easily 
turned,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  the  slats 
of  a  window-blind,  one  to  overlap  the  other 
slightly  when  closed.  These  shades  are  in  use 
in  most  first-class  galleries.  The  next  best  plan 
is  to  have  spring  roller  shades  of  blue  or  wrhite 
muslin,  controlled  by  cords  and  pulleys. 

There  should  be  at  least  two  back -grounds : 
one  white,  the  other  scenic-exterior  or  interior, 
and  made  as  light  in  color  or  tone  as  compatible 
with  proper  delineation.  In  cities,  a  rustic  fence 
with  proper  scenic  grounds  gives  great  satisfac¬ 
tion,  both  for  groups  and  single  figures;  and 
reasoning  from  that,  I  should  suppose  that  a 
handsome  interior,  with  suitable  accessories, 
would  give  more  satisfaction  in  country  places. 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


39 


There  should  be  a  reflector  for  each  light;  the 
reflector  should  be  covered  on  one  side  with 
white,  and  on  the  other  with  blue  paper  muslin, 
the  glazed  side  out,  and  hung  on  pivots  in  a 
light  frame  with  casters,  so  that  it  may  be  easily 
moved.  It  is  to  be  used  on  the  side  opposite  the 
light,  to  relieve  heavy  shadows  under  projecting 
parts  of  the  face,  and  the  shaded  side  of  the 
object  or  sitter. 

One  camera  stand  will  generally  be  found 
sufficient,  but  if  business  is  brisk,  with  the 
necessity  of  changing  boxes,  two  will  be  found 
very  useful.  There  are  a  great  many  different 
kinds  of  stands  in  use,  and  the  purchaser  will 
rarely  have  any  difficulty  in  choosing  the  best. 
It  will  be  well  to  secure  one  that  will  combine 
lightness  and  durability. 

Of  camera  boxes,  owing  to  their  importance  to 
the  Ferrotyper,  it  will  be  proper  to  enter  more 
into  detail ;  especially  of  the  kind  which,  from 
the  facility  by  which  large  numbers  of  pictures 
are  produced  by  their  use,  are  called 

MULTIPLYING  CAMERAS. 

Before  the  invention  of  the  Multiplier,  Ferro¬ 
types  were  made  singly  of  the  regular  photo¬ 
graphic  sizes,  and  sold  in  cases  or  frames.  As 
the  introduction  of  the  cartes-de-visite  in  pho¬ 
tography  created  a  wonderful  change  and  growth 
in  the  business,  so  did  the  invention  of  the  Mul¬ 
tiplying  box,  whereby  from  one  to  50  or  100 


40 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


pictures  could  be  made  on  one  plate  “at  the  same 
time,  by  consecutive  exposures  through  one  or 
more  lenses,  increase  and  extend  the  popularity 
of  the  Ferrotype.  Any  means  whereby  a  dozen 
pictures  could  be  made  in  about  the  space  of  time 
previously  required  to  make  one  by  the  old 
method,  would  enable  the  operator  to  sell  a 
dozen  at  or  near  the  same  price  as  he  formerly 
demanded  for  one — and  then,  a  dozen  “  Gem  ” 
Ferrotypes  could  be  made  and  mounted  on  cards, 
or  set  in  preservers,  or  merely  cut  apart,  and  be 
sold  for  50  cents,  while  very  few  artists  ever 
thought  of  charging  less  than  that  sum  for  one, 
set  in  a  case. 

At  the  present  time,  no  gallery  can  be  con¬ 
sidered  to  be  furnished  without  a  Multiplying 
Camera  box,  for  they  are  as  useful  in  all  other 
branches  of  photography  as  they  are  in  making 
Ferrotypes. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  first  Multiplier  was 
made,  and  a  patent  procured  for  the  same,  by 
Mr.  Albert  South  worth,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
however  successfully  that  claim  may  be  disputed, 
it  is  not  denied  that  the  first  boxes  of  the  kind 
were  made  and  sold  as  Multiplying  boxes  by  Mr. 
Simon  Wing,  originally  of  Waterville,  Maine, 
under  Mr.  South  worth’s  patent,  of  which  Mr. 
Wing  became  the  purchaser,  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Marcus  Ormsbee,  of  Boston. 

For  some  ten  or  twelve  years  past,  Mr.  Wing 
has  manufactured  these  boxes  in  Boston,  Mass., 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


41 


and  has  sold  them  only  to  those  who  were  able 
and  willing  to  buy  the  patent  right  for  the 
town  or  county  in  which  they  wished  to  use  the 
same. 

By  such  an  illiberal  and  exclusive  policy,  he 
has  rendered  it  profitable  for  others  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  camera  boxes  to  make  and 
sell  innumerable  infringements  on  South  worth's 
patent,  and  thus  entailed  on  himself  numerous 
law  suits  to  maintain  the  validity  and  the  rights 
guaranteed  by  the  patent. 

It  is  conceded  by  the  general  public,  and  es¬ 
tablished  by  law,  that  the  man  who  invents  a 
new  and  useful  piece  of  apparatus,  a  new  and 
useful  machine,  a  labor-saving  instrument  or 
engine,  or  who  discovers  a  new  process  or  novel 
application  of  power  or  force,  or  a  new  combina¬ 
tion  of  any  kind,  if  he  can  establish  and  make 
good  his  claim  before  the  officers  appointed  by 
law  to  inquire  into  such  matters;  shall  be  pro¬ 
tected  in  the  exclusive  use,  manufacture,  or  sale 
of  such  invention  or  discovery,  as  far  as  the  law 
can  so  protect,  for  it  can  not  be  denied  that 
beyond  a  certain  point  the  law  is  of  no  avail  to 
protect  a  man  in  such  exclusive  use  or  sale; 
indeed,  the  law  is  unable  to  protect  the  govern¬ 
ment  itself  against  the  aggressions  of  those  to 
whom  the  law  makes  such  aggression  profitable. 
Let  the  tax  on  any  one  article  of  importation  be 
made  so  high  as  to  render  smuggling  profitable, 
and  behold  with  what  difficulty  smuggling  is  put 


42 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


down ;  let  the  tax  on  whisky  be  put  at  $2.00  a 
gallon  and  we  see  the  whole  force  of  the  govern¬ 
ment  paralyzed,  and  whisky  sold  in  defiance  of 
law  at  less  than  the  tax.  So,  too,  with  any  pat¬ 
ented  article  of  great  usefulness,  let  the  price  be 
fixed  so  high  by  the  patentee  as  to  render  in¬ 
fringement  profitable,  notwithstanding  the  risk; 
and  infringements  will  be  made.  So  it  was  with 
Wing’s  Multiply iug  Camera  box,  manufactured  of 
the  best  materials  expressly  selected  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  under  the  eye  of  a  practical  photographer 
and  mechanic,  serviceable  and  durable;  the  price 
was  fixed  so  high,  and  even  more  than  that,  the  ne¬ 
cessity  of  procuring  a  town  or  county  right  with 
the  box,  rendered  the  manufacture  of  infringe¬ 
ments  so  profitable,  that  thousands  were  made 
and  sold  with  impunity  all  over  the  country.  As 
a  natural  consequence,  lawsuits  followed;  in  one 
of  which,  Wing,  of  Boston,  against  C.  C.  Schoon- 
maker,  of  Troy,  New  York,  after  having  been 
carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
the  patent  received  its  quietus  by  a  tie  vote  of 
eight  judges,  the  Chief- Justice  being  absent. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  above  may  be  a 
warning  to  inventors  who  may  be  inclined  to 
ask  too  much  for  their  valuable  inventions,  as  is 
in  general  the  case,  especially  with  photographers. 

Multiplying  Cameras  may  now  be  had  of  a 
great  variety  of  patterns,  most  of  which  are  as 
serviceable  and  useful  in  small  galleries  as  the 
best  made.  The  varieties  most  used,  however, 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


43 


are  those  made  by  Wing  of  Boston,  by  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Optical  Company,  of  New  York,  and  the 
Success  Camera  boxes,  sold  by  E.  &  H.  T.  An¬ 
thony,  also  of  New  York.  In  principle  these  boxes 
are  the  same,  only  differing  in  design  or  pattern 
and  in  the  indicators,  and  arrangements  for  mak¬ 
ing  the  various  movements.  They  are  of  all  sizes 
and  suited  to  all  varieties  of  work. 

The  half  plate  box,  so  called,  (few  are  made  of 
a  smaller  size),  will  make  with  a  single  tube,  one, 
two,  four,  six  or  sixteen  pictures  on  a  quarter 
plate  by  as  many  moves ;  with  four  tubes  it  will 
make,  on  a  quarter  plate,  four  pictures  by  one 
exposure,  eight  by  two  exposures,  or  sixteen 
“gems”  by  four  exposures.  On  a  half  plate 
eight  pictures  by  two  exposures,  thirty-two  by 
eight  exposures- — with  four  tubes.  The  5  by  7 
Victoria  box,  with  one  tube,  will  make  two  Vic¬ 
toria  portraits  by  two  exposures.  One  imperial  or 
cabinet  size  by  one  exposure,  four  cartes-de-visite 
by  four  moves,  and  with  four  tubes,  sixteen 
gems  on  a  quarter  plate  and  thirty-two  on  a  half 
plate — -with  nine  tubes,  nine,  eighteen  or  thirty- 
six  on  5  by  7  plate,  according  to  size.  The 
4-4  or  whole  plate  box  is  probably  most  useful, 
as  it  embraces  the  whole  range  of  sizes,  both  in 
plates  from  1-9  to  4-4,  and  in  pictures  from  one 
on  4-4,  any  size,  to  sixty-four  On  4-4  plate. 
There  are  other  boxes  made  but  they  are  useful 
only  where  vast  quantities  of  pictures  are  made 
at  exceedingly  low  prices,  as  if  you  were  to  make 


44 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


them  by  the  bushel.  These  boxes  are,  or  should 
be,  accompanied  by  printed  directions  for  making 
the  various  movements  for  the  different  sizes  of 
pictures,  or  for  selecting  and  placing  the  openings 
or  diaphrams,  which  are  set  in  the  back  of  the 
box  immediately  in  front  of  the  ground  glass, 
through  which  the  picture  is  made. 

It  requires  some  few  days  to  become  familiar 
with  the  management  of  a  good  multiplier,  those 
made  by  Wing  requiring  rather  longer  to  learn 
than  others;  but  when  once  learned,  they  are  easy 
to  remember  and  practice,  and  are  very  accurate 
in  operation. 

The  multiplier  is  chiefly  valuable  to  the  fer- 
rotyper  to  enable  him  to  make  pictures  in  num¬ 
bers.  Many  prefer  the  ferrotype  to  the  photo¬ 
graph,  and  would  pay  as  much  for  a  dozen  good 
ferrotypes  as  for  a  dozen  cartes-de-visite ;  and  by 
the  use  of  this  box  the  operator  can  make  and 
deliver  to  a  waiting  customer  a  dozen  pictures, 
which  will  afford  more  satisfaction  probably  than 
twelve  cartes-de-visite  made  at  the  same  price. 

We  have  undertaken  no  history  of  the  multi¬ 
plier  in  this  connection,  but  only  wish  to  inform 
the  fraternity  that  there  are  a  variety  of  sizes  and 
patterns  of  these  boxes,  and  to  illustrate  the  fable, 
the  moral  of  which  is,  “Be  sure  not  to  grasp 
too  much ,  or  you  will  lose  allB 

The  multiplier  may  be  used  with  one  lens  or 
with  four,  six  or  nine.  Generally  the  sizes  less 
than  the  4-4  are  not  fitted  to  use  more  than  four  of 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


45 


the  small  or  Gem  tubes,  and  one-quarter,  half,  extra 
half  or  a  quick  acting  lens  of  the  two-thirds  size. 
The  larger  boxes  are  fitted  with  blocks  of  nine  of 
the  small  tubes,  four  of  the  quarter  size,  or  one  of 
the  4-4  or  larger  sizes  ;  therefore  the  4-4  box  has 
a  greater  range  of  usefulness,  for  by  their  use 
one,  four,  eight  or  sixteen  pictures  can  be  made 
on  a  quarter  plate,  and  on  the  larger  ones  a  pro¬ 
portionate  number,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
plate.  These  cameras  are  generally  provided 
with  two  plate-holders,  to  the  proper  care  of  which 
attention  should  be  given.  The  frames  for  the 
reception  of  various  sizes  of  plates  are  not  pro¬ 
vided  with  glass  or  composition  corners,  but  are 
made  with  a  rabbet  all  round,  in  order  that  every 
side  of  the  plate  may  rest  firmly.  A  piece  of 
glass  of  the  same  size  as  the  plate,  is  placed  at 
the  back  of  the  plate  and  forced  closely  forward 
by  the  action  of  a  spring  on  the  door  at  the  back 
of  the  holder.  When  new  these  frames  and  the 
holder  should  be  placed  in  boiling  oil  and  com¬ 
pletely  saturated,  so  that  the  silver  solution  may 
not  soak  into  the  wood  when  in  active  use.  An¬ 
other  good  plan  is  to  take  parafine  and  apply  it 
in  a  melted  state  to  the  frames  and  holder;  its 
effects  is  to  repel  the  silver  and  prevent  its  action 
on  the  wood.  The  holders,  when  in  constant 
use,  should  also  be  varnished  about  once  a  week 
with  a  solution  of  gum  shellac  dissolved  in  wood 
naphtha,  which  is  an  excellent  varnish,  impervi¬ 
ous  to  the  silver  solution,  at  the  same  time  pre- 


46 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


venting  any  chemical  action  on  the  plate  from 
contact  with  the  wood. 

Lenses. — There  are  a  great  many  lenses  in 
the  market,  among  which  it  is  difficult  to  choose. 
My  experience  proves  that  of  the  smaller  Gem 
tubes,  those  of  Darlot  £  Paris  are  the  best ;  of 
the  other  sizes  there  is  no  great  difference  among 
the  cheap  instruments,  and  if  it  is  desired  to  pro¬ 
cure  a  larger  tube  of  the  4-4  size,  or  even  larger, 
then  it  is  advisable  to  procure  of  the  more  ex¬ 
pensive  manufacture,  always  keeping  in  mind 
that  whatever  lenses  you  may  purchase,  be  sure  to 
make  rapidity  of  action  one  of  the  qualities  most 
to  be  desired.  A  4-4  multiplier,  provided  with 
nine  “Gem”  tubes,  four  quarter  and  one  4-4  or 
extra  do,  should  be  enough  for  most  galleries 
where  the  business  is  confined  to  the  production 
of  Ferrotypes. 

Focussing  Glass. — The  focussing  glass  is  a 
very  useful  article,  and  every  camera  box  should 
be  provided  with  one.  Their  use  is  to  magnify 
the  image  on  the  object  glass  so  as  more  easily  to 
secure  a  perfect  focus. 

Posing  Chairs. — Posing  chairs  are  now  in 
general  use  and  are  in  great  variety.  In  select¬ 
ing,  choose  one  of  the  most  graceful  design  and 
best  finish.  A  great  revolution  in  the  style  and 
finish  of  these  useful  chairs  was  made,  I  think, 
in  1866,  by  the  introduction  at  that  date  of 
“  Sarony’s  Universal  Rest  and  Posing  Chair.” 
Mr.  Sarony  sold  immense  numbers  of  them,  un- 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


47 


til  they  indeed  became  universal  in  use.  The 
most  popular  poising  chairs  are  now  made  in  imi¬ 
tation  of  the  shape  of  the  Sarony  chair,  with 
which  most  photographers  are  already  familiar. 

Head  Rests. — Head  rests  are  also  in  great 
variety  of  shapes,  sizes  and  weight.  The  pur¬ 
chaser  can  very  soon  make  up  his  mind  as  to 
his  choice,  after  attempting  to  drag  a  sample  of 
each  kind  across  the  room.  The  rest  is,  and 
should'  be  so  considered,  indispensable  in  every 
gallery,  so  much  so,  that  sittings  should  never  be 
made  without  the  use  of  the  rest,  except  in  the 
case  of  children.  Much  attention  is  now  being 
given  to  the  invention  or  discovery  of  means 
whereby  the  exposure  of  plates  may  be  very  ma¬ 
terially  shortened,  for  it  is  only  by  the  use  of  ex¬ 
tremely  sensitive  preparations  or  very  quick  act¬ 
ing  lenses  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  dispense  with 
the  head  rest. 

Curtain  Support. — A  head  rest  with  a  long 
iron  rod,  the  top  of  which  is  bent  at  a  right-angle, 
is  about  as  useful  for  the  support  of  a  curtain  as 
any  other.  The  curtain,  when  of  fine  material 
and  properly  used,  gives  much  pictorial  effect  to 
the  Ferrotype.  The  use  of  the  curtain  is  consid¬ 
ered  of  so  much  importance  that  the  National 
Photographic  Society,  at  their  convention  in  St. 
Louis  this  year,  gave  one  of  the  medals  designed 
for  the  most  useful  inventions  introduced  within 
this  year,  to  Mr.  Biglow,  for  his  imitation  silk 
curtain  and  graduating  revolving  back-ground. 


48 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


Copying  Stand. — The  copying  stand  is  an 
important  and  necessary  article  of  furniture  in 
the  operating  room.  They  are  sold  by  most  pho¬ 
tographic  stock  and  apparatus  dealers  in  various 
forms  and  designs,  some  of  which  are  patented, 
and  others  not.  A  copying  stand,  which  is  cheap 
and  as  good  as  the  best,  is  a  narrow  table  strongly 
made  of  pine,  not  over  eighteen  inches  wide  and 
about  four  feet  long.  At  one  end  an  upright 
piece  of  board  about  eighteen  inches  square  should 
be  fastened  perpendicularly,  at  a  perfect  right- 
angle  with  the  table.  Against  one  side  of  the 
table  a  strip  of  board  should  be  firmly  fixed,  to 
form  a  guide  to  keep  the  camera  in  position, 
when  focused  upon  a  picture  about  to  be  copied. 
The  picture  to  be  copied  is  of  course  secured 
against  the  upright  piece  of  wood  by  two  or  more 
tacks  or  sharp  points  kept  for  the  purpose. 
With  such  a  stand  much  greater  certainty  is  at¬ 
tained,  in  securing  more  perfect  copies.  One  or 
more  drawers  may  be  fitted  underneath  the  table, 
to  hold  such  centre  stops  and  other  articles  as 
may  be  necessary  and  useful  for  this  part  of  the 
business.  I  can  not  better  illustrate  the  use  and 
value  of  such  a  stand,  than  by  referring  the  reader 
to  an  article  on  copying,  on  page  53  of  "  Photo¬ 
graphic  Mosaics”  for  1871. 

Table  Cover. — The  table  and  cover  can  be 
used  with  great  advantage  in  many  pictures,  and 
is  quite  indispensable  in  a  well  appointed  gallery. 
In  selecting  a  table  good  taste,  should  be  exhib- 


THE  GLASS  ROOM. 


49 


itcd  in  the  choice.  A  handsome  black  walnut 
table  with  ornamented  top  produces  a  very  nice 
effect.  A  small  table  with  white  marble  top  is 
also  conspicuously  agreeable  in  pictorial  effect. 
The  table  is  often  necessary  to  support  articles 
required  to  be  exhibited  by  the  sitter  or  sitters, 
and  will  be  frequently  used  to  support  articles 
required  to  be  photographed  alone.  The  table 
cover  may  very  frequently — if  of  suitable  mate¬ 
rial  and  color — be  used  as  drapery  falling  over 
the  back  of  a  chair  or  resting  carelessly  on  the 
floor  to  hide  the  foot  of  the  head  rest.  There  are 
many  ways  in  which  its  usefulness  may  be  exem¬ 
plified. 

Ottomans. — Ottomans,  or  hassocks,  are  very 
useful  as  low  seats  in  the  composition  of  groups, 
and  should  be  liberally  provided  in  every  glass 
room.  They  can  be  made  very  useful  in  making 
with  them,  fanciful  seats  for  children,  the  table 
cover  or  other  drapery  being  thrown  over  the 
ottoman. 

In  galleries  where  there  is  not  ample  space  for 
a  furnishing  room,  a  corner  of  the  operating  room 
is  generally  set  apart  for  that  purpose — this  cor¬ 
ner  should  be  provided  with  a  table  about  breast 
high,  with  a  large  and  small  drawer.  Upon  the 
table  should  be  placed  a  gas  or  naphtha  stove;  if  in 
a  city  where  gas  is  procurable,  naphtha  should  not 
be  used,  but  when  gas  is  not  to  be  had,  naphtha 
is  the  least  objectionable  substitute.  Upon  the 
stove  should  rest  a  wedge-shaped  heater,  against 
4 


50 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


which  the  plates  may  be  placed  to  dry,  and  again 
after  being  varnished.  The  plate  when  dry  is  to 
be  colored  or  tinted.  In  the  small  drawer  of  the 
table  should  be  kept  a  color  box  and  brushes ;  the 
color  best  adapted  for  the  face  is  Indian  Red,  with 
a  small  portion  of  silver  white  carefully  and  thor¬ 
oughly  mixed  with  it.  The  cheeks  and  lips  of 
the  picture  may  now  be  carefully  colored,  the  super¬ 
fluous  color  being  brushed  off  with  a  small  camel's 
hair  blender,  which  also  serves  to  soften  the  out¬ 
lines  of  the  color,  and  blends  it  off  gradually  to 
the  white  of  the  picture.  The  picture  may  now 
be  varnished  and  set  up  against  the  stove  to  dry, 
a  gentle  heat  being  necessary  to  impart  a  gloss  to 
the  varnished  surface,  as  it  becomes  dry  and  hard. 
A  great  many  varnishes  are  advertised  and  sold 
as  peculiarly  suitable  to  Ferrotypes,  and  many 
of  the  varieties  are  good  and  perhaps  better  than 
the  Ferrotypist  could  make  for  himself.  Here 
the  question  of  economy  comes  in,  and  should 
counterbalance  any  inferiority  there  may  be  in 
the  domestic  manufacture.  Where  very  little 
varnish  is  used,  however,  it  is  better  perhaps  to 
order  from  your  stock  dealer,  and  so  also  with 
collodion  and  other  mixtures.  A  very  good  qual¬ 
ity  of  varnish  may  be  made  from  shellac  dis¬ 
solved  in  alcohol.  The  alcohol  should  be  the  best 
and  strongest  obtainable;  secure  a  wide  mouth 
bottle,  which  will  hold  one  gallon.  Get  the  best 
quality  of  bleached  shellac,  break  it  up  fine  and 
small,  put  one  pound  in  the  bottle  and  fill  up 


THE  DARK  ROOM. 


51 


■with  alcohol.  Set  the  bottle  away  for  a  few  days, 
giving  it  a  good  shaking  once  in  awhile ;  after  the 
gum  has  dissolved  and  settled,  decant  the  clear 
portion,  after  testing,  to  learn  if  it  is  thick  enough ; 
if  not  shake  up  and  allow  to  stand — if  too  thick, 
dilute  with  alcohol  and  use.  By  keeping  the  stock 
bottle  full,  adding  new  shellac  as  required,  you 
have,  with  very  little  trouble,  a  fine  quality  of 
varnish,  giving  with  a  gentle  heat  as  fine  a  gloss 
to  your  work  as  any  it  is  possible  to  make. 
Now,  that  the  picture  is  dry,  cut  apart;  if  more 
than  one,  trim  the  edges,  mount  or  place  in  envel¬ 
opes,  and  they  are  ready  to  deliver. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE  DARK  ROOM. 

The  “  dark  room,”  as  it  is  generally  denomi¬ 
nated,  should  not  be  in  reality  a  dark  room,  it  being 
only  necessary  to  exclude  the  actinic  rays  of  light. 
Light,  then,  may  be  admitted  to  any  extent  through 
colored  glass,  if  that  color  is  non-actinic.  The 
best  glass  for  this  purpose  is  orange  or  yellow  ;  the 
whole  room  may  be  made  of  glass  of  this  color,  and 
the  work  proceed  without  injury  to  the  most  sensi¬ 
tive  film.  Care  must  always  be  taken  to  exclude  all 
white  light — no  cracks  should  be  left  open,  doors 


52 


THE  ferrotype. 


should  fit  closely,  and  every  other  ingress  for  light 
carefully  guarded.  That  the  dark  room  should  be 
the  neatest  and  cleanest  room  in  the  building  is 
the  usual  theory,  but  it  is  only  necessary  that  it 
should  be  clean,  free  from  dust,  entirely  so,  and 
with  as  few  shelves  as  possible. 

A  small  dark  room  is  best  for  the  Ferrotype 
business,  where  every  thing  can  be  reached  with 
little  motion,  with  space  to  turn  conveniently. 
This  room  should  be  furnished  with  a  convenient 
supply  of  water  under  immediate  control.  A 
large  trough-sink  occupying  the  middle  of  one 
side;  on  each  hand  shelves — that  on  the  right  for 
the  bath,  the  plate-holders  and  the  developing 
solutions;  those  on  the  left  for  the  collodion  bot¬ 
tles  and  the  plates.  For  a  Ferrotype  Gallery 
where  pictures  are  made  in  sizes,  from  one  on  a 
quarter  plate,  to  as  large  as  8  by  10  inches,  the 
furniture  and  supplies  of  the  dark  room  should  be 

Ferro-plates, 

Collodion, 

Alcohol, 

Ether, 

Iodide  of  Ammonium, 
Iodide  Cadmium, 

Bromide  Cadmium, 

Gun  Cotton. 

2.  Collodion  Bottles. 

Silver  Solution  : 

Nitrate  of  Silver, 

Iodide  of  Potassium, 

18  by  10  glass  bath  dish, 
with  box  and  dipper. 


THE  DARK  ROOM. 


53 


Developing  Solution : 

Protosulphate  of  Iron, 

Acetic  Acid, 

Alcohol. 

2  Decanting  or  Pouring  Bottles, 

1  Graduate,  8  or  16  oz., 

1  One-gallon  funnel, 

2  Small  funnels, 

8  by  10  glass  dish,  with  box  and  dipper. 

Fixing  Solution : 

Cyanide  of  Potassium, 

1  Evaporating  dish, 

1  Actino  Hydrometer,  single  degree, 

1  Package  of  filtering  paper, 

1  Package  of  filtering  cotton, 

1  Back  to  hold  wet  plates, 

Cotton  flannel  for  cleaning  plates. 

The  following  diagram  represents  a  dark  room 
and  the  location  of  the  sink,  etc. 


In  this  diagram  the  *  *  *  *  show  the  posi¬ 
tion  and  size  of  the  sink,  which  is  a  strong  wooden 


54 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


tank  made  perfectly  water-tight  and  resting  on 
the  floor ;  the  top  is  partly  covered.  On  the  left, 
at  A,  is  a  shelf  for  plates  ;  C  represents  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  collodion  bottles,  F  the  bath  dish,  the 
top  of  which  projects  through  the  cover  of  the 
sink,  the  box  resting  on  a  shelf  below  in  the  tank. 
At  E  the  holders  rest  on  an  inclined  shelf,  some¬ 
thing  like  the  top  of  a  desk.  The  plate,  having 
been  coated  with  collodion,  is  placed  in  the  bath 
at  F ;  taken  thence  when  coated,  and  placed  in  the 
holder  at  E,  from  whence  it  is  taken  to  be  ex¬ 
posed.  After  exposure  it  is  removed  from  the 
holder  and  developed  over  the  funnel  B  by  the 
solution  in  bottles  at  G.  After  development 
it  is  washed  under  a  faucet,  which  is  over  and 
between  B,  the  funnel,  and  G,  the  developer  shelf; 
it  is  then  dipped  in  the  cyanide  bath  at  D  (this 
bath  should  always  be  kept  covered  except  when 
in  use);  the  plate  is  again  washed  carefully  and 
taken  out  to  finish.  Across  the  side  opposite 
the  tank,  and  across  the  end,  are  shelves  under 
which  are  closets.  The  tank  extends  from  the 
floor  to  a  convenient  height  for  developing  over, 
and  should  be  so  constructed,  in  order  that  it  may 
hold  all  the  water  likely  to  be  used  in  one  day ; 
a  waste-pipe  passes  through  the  side  or  end  about 
nine  inches  or  a  foot  from  the  top,  and  bending 
down  extends  in  that  direction  to  within  three  or 
four  inches  of  the  bottom.  In  this  pipe  outside 
the  tank,  should  be  a  stop-cock ;  the  hole  where 
it  passes  through  into  the  tank  should  be  made 


THE  DARK  ROOM. 


55 


water-tight.  After  a  clay’s  work,  if  the  tank  is 
full,  a  small  quantity  of  a  saturated  solution  of 
copperas  (the  commonest  salt  of  iron)  should  be 
thrown  into  the  tank,  for  the  purpose  of  precip¬ 
itating  the  silver  that  may  be  in  the  water.  It 
should  be  left  all  night,  to  allow  time  for  the  pre¬ 
cipitate  to  fall  to  the  bottom.  In  the  morning  the 
stop-cock  should  be  turned  and  the  water  allowed 
to  run  off,  which  it  will  do  readily,  the  waste- 
pipe  acting  as  a  syphon.  It  will  be  necessary, 
however,  that  the  tank  should  be  full  of  water, 
or  at  least  that  the  water  should  be  above  the 
top  of  the  waste-pipe,  in  order  that  it  may  run 
out,  for  the  water  must  be  high  enough  to  flow 
through  the  pipe  when  the  stop-cock  is  turned, 
after  which  it  will  continue  to  run  until  all  is 
exhausted.  A  tank  arranged  as  thus  described 
is  the  best  silver-saving  apparatus  that  can  be 
devised.  It  receives  all  the  washings  of  the 
plates,  all  the  waste  of  the  developing  and  fixing 
solutions,  all  the  silver  solution  that  may  be  wasted 
from  the  bath  dish  in  raising  the  dipper  many 
times  a  day,  all  the  drippings  of  plates,  all  the 
films  which  should  be  rubbed  from  rejected  plates 
or  off  the  edges  of  all  plates  after  development. 
These  are  all  readily  precipitated  by  the  solution 
of  iron,  which  costs  but  a  trifle  by  the  quantity. 
The  precipitate,  which  is  a  thick  black  mud,  may 
be  taken  from  the  tank  once  a  year,  or  often er  if 
the  business  is  large,  and  given  to  competent 
men  for  the  reduction  and  separation  of  the  sil¬ 
ver  it  may  contain. 


56 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

COLLODION. 

Collodion,  according  to  Webster,  is  “a  solution 
of  gun-cotton  in  ether.  It  is  strongly  adhesive, 
and  is  used  by  surgeons  to  close  up  wounds.  It 
is  also  employed  in  Photography.” 

Mr.  Archer  who,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Horne,  was  the  first  to  introduce  this  important 
addition  to  the  art,  deserves  our  utmost  thanks 
for  enabling  us  to  obtain  effects  so  utterly  impos¬ 
sible  of  attainment  by  any  other  means. 

Collodion,  as  a  Photographic  medium,  is,  with¬ 
out  doubt,  far  before  any  other.  The  beauty  of 
the  details  obtained  in  good  pictures,  the  exceed¬ 
ing  sensibility  of  the  medium  itself,  and  the  com¬ 
parative  ease  of  its  manipulation,  place  it  at  the 
head  of  all  Photographic  agents. 

Researches  in  the  preparation  of  Collodion 
might  appear  superfluous,  now  that  it  is  supplied 
of  the  best  quality  by  so  many  makers;  but  as 
some  persons  of  an  independent  turn  of  mind 
still  prefer  manufacturing  their  own,  and  as  an 
article  of  uniform  quality  is  always  desirable, 
and  it  being  more,  economical  for  each  photo¬ 
grapher  to  prepare  that  which  he  himself  uses,  I 
venture  to  bring  forward  the  subject  with  the 
hope  of  assisting  them.  I  yield  to  the  tempta- 


THE  COLLODION. 


57 

tion  to  give,  in  this  place,  an  account  of  the 
process  of  manufacturing  Collodion  wool  or  gun¬ 
cotton,  which  I  have  discovered  in  an  English 
work  on  photography ;  because  the  possession 
of  a  reliable  process  is  desirable  and  quite  in 
harmony  with  the  purposes  of  this  book. 

HOW  TO  PREPARE  GUN-COTTON. 

Five  parts,  by  measure,  of  sulphuric  acid  and 
four  of  nitric  acid  of  specific  gravity,  not  lower 
than  1.4,  are  mixed  in  an  earthen-ware  or  thin 
glass-vessel  capable  of  standing  heat ;  small  por¬ 
tions  of  water  are  added  gradually  (by  half 
drachms  at  a  time,  supposing  two  ounces  to  have 
been  mixed),  testing  after  each  addition  by  the 
immersion  of  a  small  portion  of  cotton.  The 
addition  of  water  is  continued  until  a  piece  of 
cotton  is  found  to  contract  and  dissolve  on  im¬ 
mersion;  when  this  takes  place,  add  half  the 
quantity  of  sulphuric  acid  previously  used  and 
(if  the  temperature  does  not  exceed  130°,  in 
which  case,  it  must  be  allowed  to  cool  to  that 
point,)  immerse  as  much  cotton,  well  pulled  out 
as  can  be  easily  and  perfectly  soaked  ;  it  is  left 
in  for  ten  minutes,  taking  care  the  mixture  does 
not  become  cold.  It  is  then  transferred  to  cold 
water  and  thoroughly  washed.  This  is  a  matter  of 
much  importance,  and  should  be  performed  at  first 
by  changing  the  water  many  times,  until  it  ceases 
to  taste  acid,  and  treating  it  then  with  boiling 
rain-water,  until  the  color  of  blue  litmus  paper 


58 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


remains  unchanged;  the  freedom  from  all  trace 
of  acid  is  insured  by  adding  a  little  ammonia 
before  the  last  washing.  Cotton  thus  prepared 
should  dissolve  perfectly  and  instantaneously  in 
ether  containing  a  little  alcohol,  without  leaving 
a  fiber  behind,  and  the  film  it  produces  be  of  the 
greatest  strength  and  transparency. 

Having  obtained  good  pyroxyline  by  purchase, 
or  by  the  above  process,  the  next  point  of  inquiry 
is  with  regard  to  the  solvent;  many  experiments 
have  been  made  to  ascertain  the  proper  propor¬ 
tions  of  ether  and  alcohol  to  produce  the  best 
Collodion,  having  regard  to  all  the  qualities  con¬ 
sidered  necessary  to  a  good  article.  As  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  definition  at  the  head  of  this  ar¬ 
ticle,  gun-cotton  will  dissolve  in  ether,  it  might 
be  asked  why  add  alcohol,  and  be  answered  by 
giving  a  variety  of  reasons :  first,  the  solution  in 
ether  alone  could  not  be  sensitized,  and  would 
evaporate  to  dryness,  or  “  set  ”  so  quickly  as  to 
unfit  the  film  for  immersion  in  the  bath;  as,  for 
instance,  a  mixture  containing  one-eighth  of 
alcohol  would  prove  quite  unfit  for  photographic 
purposes,  it  being  almost  impossible,  even  with 
the  most  rapid  coating  and  immersion  of  the 
plate,  tc  obtain  a  film  of  uniform  sensitiveness 
and  opacity  throughout. 

It  has  been  found  that  the  proportion  of  three 
parts  of  alcohol  to  five  of  ether  produces  the  best 
results,  giving  without  the.  least  difficulty  a  film 
beautifully  uniform  and  highly  sensitive,  and  at 


COLLODION. 


59 


the  same  time  perfectly  tough  and  easily  re¬ 
movable  from  the  plate  if  desired.  These  pro¬ 
portions  are,  however,  more  satisfactory  during 
the  season  of  cold  weather,  as  it  is  found  that  the 
film  sets  too  quickly  in  hot  weather,  when  evapo¬ 
ration  is  so  much  more  rapid.  The  surprising 
improvement  caused  by  the  addition  of  a  certain 
quantity  of  alcohol,  is  referable  to  causes  partly 
chemical  and  partly  mechanical,  for,  on  examining 
the  films,  it  will  be  found  in  a  sample  containing 
J  alcohol,  and  occasionally,  when  a  larger  propor¬ 
tion  is  used,  that  on  immersion  in  the  bath  the 
iodide  of  silver  is  formed  on  the  surface,  and  can 
be  entirely  removed  by  friction  without  destroy¬ 
ing  the  transparent  Collodion  film  below,  while 
in  those  Collodions  containing  a  larger  propor¬ 
tion  of  alcohol  (one-half  or  even  more)  the 
iodide  of  silver  is  wholly  in  the  substance,  and 
in  this  state  possesses  the  utmost  of  sensitiveness. 
This  difference  of  condition  is  owing  to  the  very 
sparing  solubility  of  ether  in  water,  which,  in  the 
first  case,  prevents  the  entrance  of  the  nitrate  of 
silver  into  the  film,  consequently  the  iodide  and 
silver  solutions  meet  on  the  surface,  but  on  the 
addition  of  alcohol  in  a  greater  proportion,  its 
solubility  enables  the  two  to  interchange  places, 
and  thus  the  iodide  of  silver  is  precipitated 
throughout  the  substance  of  the  Collodion  film 
in  a  state  of  the  utmost  division. 

It  is  most  important,  in  the  selection  of  ether 
and  alcohol,  to  form  a  solvent  for  gun-cotton  to 


60 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


secure  that  which  is  pure.  Ether  often,  in  fact 
almost  always,  contains  alcohol,  and  sometimes 
water.  Alcohol  is  sold  as  95  per  cent,  which 
will  not  test  higher  than  85. 

The  quantity  of  alcohol  contained  in  a  sample 
of  ether,  may  easily  be  ascertained  by  agitating 
the  ether  in  a  graduated  measure-glass,  (a  minim 
glass  does  very  well,)  with  half  its  bulk  of  a  sat¬ 
urated  solution  of  chloride  of  calcium.  This 
should  be  poured  in  first,  its  height  noticed,  and 
the  ether  poured  on  its  surface,  the  thumb  then 
placed  on  the  top,  and  the  two  shaken  together; 
when  separated,  the  increase  of  bulk  acquired  by 
the  chloride  of  calcium  indicates  the  quantity  of 
alcohol  present,  and  for  this,  allowance  should  be 
made  in  the  addition  of  alcohol  to  the  Collodion 
afterward. 

Water  may  be  detected  either  in  alcohol  or 
ether  by  allowing  a  drop  to  fall  into  spirits  of 
turpentine,  with  which  they  ought  to  mix  with¬ 
out  turbidity — this  is  produced  at  once  if  they 
contain  water.  For  detecting  water  in  alcohol, 
benzole  is  a  more  delicate  re-agent  than  spirits  of 
turpentine. 

A  perfectly  pure  solvent  having  been  secured, 
we  shall  proceed  to  consider  the  materials  nec¬ 
essary  to  excite  or  sensitize  the  Collodion,  so  that 
the  film,  when  introduced  into  the  bath,  may  ex¬ 
cite  a  chemical  action  with  the  nitrate  of  silver, 
producing  iodide  of  silver,  which  is  deposited  on 
and  in  the  substance  of  the  Collodion  film. 


COLLODION. 


61 


Those  that  are  generally  used  are  the  iodides 
and  bromides  of  potassium,  ammonium,  cadmium, 
and  sometimes  zinc  and  sodium;  of  these,  all  but 
the  potassium  have  the  great  advantage  of  being 
readily  soluble  in  any  Collodion,  and  may,  there¬ 
fore,  be  added  at  once  to  the  solution  of  gun¬ 
cotton,  but  iodide  of  potassium  requires  to  be 
dissolved  in  water,  and  even  then  must  be  added 
to  the  alcohol  before  mixing  with  the  ether,  or  it 
will  be  precipitated  in  the  form  of  a  fine  powder, 
insoluble  except  by  the  addition  of  more  water. 

To  produce  a  film  that  is  best  adapted  to  the 
Ferrotvpe-plate,  it  is  recommended  to  avoid  the 
use  of  potassium  as  an  excitant;  it  has  been 
found  that  the  film  of  Collodion  prepared  with 
this  iodide  possesses  too  much  transparency ;  that 
the  smallest  defect  on,  or  discoloration  of,  the 
surface  of  the  plate  may  be  observed  in  the 
shadows  of  the  picture.  With  a  Collodion  pre¬ 
pared  with  ammonium  and  cadmium  this  is  not 
the  case;  the  film  is  more  opaque,  and  covers 
many  defects  in  or  on  the  surface  of  the  plate. 
The  iodides  of  zinc  and  ammonium  give  Collo¬ 
dions  that  are  equal  to  any  others  in  sensitive¬ 
ness,  and  in  gradations  of  tone,  and  in  all  other 
respects  when  first  prepared,  but  after  a  short 
time  they  lose  those  good  qualities  to  a  great 
extent  from  the  decomposition  and  liberation  of 
free  iodine,  while  the  iodide  of  cadmium  is  a  cor¬ 
rective  of  this  tendency,  and  retains  its  original 
qualities  long  after  the  others  have  lost  theirs. 


62 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


The  iodide  of  Cadmium,  in  addition  to  the 
valuable  property  of  giving  a  stable  Collodion,  is 
likewise  extremely  soluble  without  being  deli¬ 
quescent,  and  being  beautifully  crystalline,  is  not 
liable  to  adulterations  or  impurities,  and  is,  there¬ 
fore,  deserving  its  good  reputation. 

Mr.  Bingham,  in  the  “  Photographic  World,” 
vol.  1,  page  173,  gives  some  formulas  for  the 
preparation  of  double  iodides  and  bromides,  the 
use  of  which,  for  exciting  or  salting  Collodion, 
he  very  highly  recommends,  and  which  appear 
to  me  to  be  valuable.  For  the  double  iodide  of 
cadmium  and  potassium  his  formula  is  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 


“  Iodide  of  Cadmium, . 182  grammes  ; 

Iodide  of  Potassium, . 165  “ 

Warm  water . 300  “ 


Shake  well  and  filter ;  then  evaporate  in  a  small  evapo¬ 
rating  dish  over  a  slow  heat. 

“  For  ammonium  and  cadmium — 


“  Iodide  of  Cadmium,  . 149  grammes ; 

Iodide  of  Ammonium, . 144 

Water  (same  as  before.) .  “ 


“  Double  bromides  can  be  made  as  well  by  using 
these  equivalents. 

“The  great  advantage  gained  is,  of  the  potas¬ 
sium,  without  any  water  to  dissolve  it,  as  the 
double  iodides  dissolve  very  readily  in  alcohol  and 
ether. 

“  I  use  about  the  following  proportions  to  salt 
my  Collodion,  which  works  soft  and  beautiful : 


COLLODION. 


63 


“Double  Iodides,. . 5  to  6  grains  to  oz. 

Double  Bromides,  or 

Bromide  of  Cadmium . 2|  grains  to  oz. 

Alcohol  and  Ether  (equal  parts) 

Cotton  about . 6  grains  to  oz. 

“  I  believe  the  double  iodides  to  be  far  superior 
to  the  simple  iodides.  I  should  like  to  have  others 
try  them,  and  should  like  to  hear  what  they  think 
of  them.” 

The  two  following  formulas  will  produce  the 
best  Collodion  for  Ferrotypes  I  have  ever  used, 
and  I  would  recommend  them  as  worthy  of  trial 
by  every  Ferrotypist  who  shall  read  this  book. 
The  first  I  have  used  for  fully  eight  years;  the 
second  I  have  lately  adopted : 

Alcohol  and  Ether . 5  ozs.  each. 

Gun-cotton,  to  make  of  suitable  consist¬ 
ency,  to  be  immersed  in  Ether  before 
the  Alcohol  is  added  : 

To  every  10  ozs.  of  plain  Collodion  add 


Iodide  of  Ammonium . . . 40  grains; 

Iodide  of  Cadmium . 20 grains; 

Bromide  of  Cadmium . 20  grains. 


This  Collodion  can  be  used  as  soon  as  it  has 
settled  sufficiently  clear,  and  will  keep  exceedingly 
well.  The  other  is  equally  good,  but  in  some 
respects  it  is  different,  requiring  more  skill  in  its 
use.  It  is  more  transparent  than  the  first,  and 
will  not,  therefore,  cover  the  defects  on  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  plate ;  in  fact  it  can  not  be  used  on 
plates  which  have  been  cleaned,  or  that  are 
scratched  or  stained  on  the  surface,  whereas  the 


(34 


THE  FERROTYPE, 


first  formula  will  produce  a  Collodion  that  will 
cover  a  multitude  of  defects: 


Iodide  of  Ammonium . 30  grains ; 

Iodide  of  Sodium . 10  “ 

Iodide  of  Cadmium . 20  u 

Bromide  of  Cadmium .  . 20  “ 

Ether  and  Alcohol . 5  oz.  each ; 

Gun-cotton,  (say) . 6to8grs. 


Or  enough  to  make  the  Collodion  as  thick  as  may  be,  to 
flow  evenly  and  smoothly  over  the  plate. 

I  have  found  it  highly  beneficial  to  vary  the 
proportions  according  to  the  season.  During  cold 
weather  I  use  a  greater  proportion  of  ether,  and 
when  the  weather  is  very  warm  I  use  less  ether 
and  more  alcohol,  ever  varying  the  proportions 
to  suit  the  season.  In  the  same  way  it  is  well  to 
use  less  bromide  during  the  summer  season,  when 
the  sunlight  is  diffused — for  instance,  in  July  and 
August  it  would  be  well  to  make  up  a  sample 


thus : 

Iodide  of  Ammonium . 40  grains; 

Iodide  of  Sodium . 10  “ 

Iodide  of  Cadmium . 30  u 

Bromide  of  Cadmium . 10  “ 

Ether,  (Cone.).. .  4J  oz. 

Alcohol .  5£  oz. 


Gun-cotton,  (in  suitable  quantity) . 

It  may  be  well  to  observe  that  caution  is  nec¬ 
essary  in  the  use  of  an  over  proportion  of  alco¬ 
hol,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  likely  to  render  the 
Collodion  glutinous,  and  from  its  solubility  in 
water  to  sooner  injure  the  bath.  Daring  cold 
weather  the  proportions  may  be  varied  the  other 


COLLODION. 


65 


way  without  injury,  except  to  render  the  Col¬ 
lodion  less  sensitive. 

Having  learned  how  to  make  a  good  quality  of 
Collodion,  it  only  remains  that  some  instruction 
be  given  as  to  the  best  means  of  preserving  and  re¬ 
storing  Collodion  to  usefulness  when  its  virtues 
have  been  destroyed  by  age.  Those  who  make 
their  own  Collodion  should  always  calculate  the 
quantity  required  to  last  a  given  time.  Cadmium 
Collodion  will  keep  good  (in  a  cool  dark  place,) 
for  six  months  or  more,  and  should  it  show  any 
signs  of  giving  out,  requiring  longer  exposure  in 
the  camera,  or  should  it  lose  its  flowing  qualities, 
it  should  be  at  once  set  aside  and  new  Collodion 
prepared,  when  the  old  and  the  new  may  be  mixed 
in  proportions  to  suit  with  excellent  results;  it  of¬ 
ten  appears  that  the  mixture  wras  better  than  either 
had  been  before.  If  a  quantity  of  old  Collodion 
should  have  collected,  it  may  be  restored  by  the 
following  process: 

Fill  a  pound  bottle  nearly  full  of  the  old 
Collodion ;  when  it  is  very  dark  in  color,  you 
may  add  a  few  drops— three  or  four — of  strong 
ammonia,  and  set  it  away  to  have  its  perfect 
action,  which  will  result  in  restoring  it  to  its 
original  color — by  neutralizing  the  acidity  of  the 
old  mixture;  you  may  then  prepare  say  2J  oz. 
each  of  ether  and  alcohol,  adding  sufficient  gun¬ 
cotton  to  make  very  thick,  which  you  may 
iodize  with  double  the  number  of  grains  to  the 
ounce  usually  allowed;  this  mixture  you  may 
5 


66 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


add  to  the  old  Collodion  under  treatment,  where 
it  will  be  found  to  work  satisfactorily.  It  will 
be  necessary,  however,  to  observe  while  using 
Collodion  so  restored,  that  the  bath  is  not  de¬ 
prived  of  its  faintly  acid  or  neutral  condition  by 
the  introduction  of  an  alkaline  Collodion  This 
may  be  easily  guarded  against  by  frequent  testing 
with  blue  litmus  paper,  and  the  addition  of  a  drop 
of  pure  nitric  acid,  always  remembering  that  for 
Ferrotypes  the  bath  should  be  neutral  or  but 
faintly  acid;  indeed,  the  use  of  acid  is  to  be 
avoided,  except  when  necessary  as  in  such  cases 
as  the  above — as,  in  fact,  in  most,  if  not  in  all 
cases,  except  when  free  ammonia  has  been  added 
to  the  Collodion,  the  silver  solution  has  a  ten¬ 
dency  to  become  acid  rather  than  alkaline,  both 
from  the  frequent  presence  of  free  iodine  in 
the  Collodion,  which  sets  free  nitric  acid  in  the 
bath,  and  also  from  the  slow  formation  of  acetic 
acid  from  the  alcohol  and  ether  washed  out  from 
the  plates  that  have  been  immersed. 

When  Collodion  has  become  very  brown  or 
dark  red  in  color,  from  excess  of  iodine  which 
has  been  set  free  by  long-keeping,  producing  the 
color  and  rendering  the  Collodion  insensitive,  it 
has  been  found  that  the  addition  of  oil  of  cloves, 
in  the  proportion  of  four  drops  to  each  ounce, 
causes,  a  surprising  increase  of  sensitiveness. 

The  strength  of  the  solution  of  nitrate  of 
silver  should  be  proportionate  to  the  quantity  of 
iodide  in  the  Collodion,  at  least  so  far  that  it 


COLLODION. 


67 


can  not  be  diminished  beyond  a  certain  point 
(depending  on  the  Collodion  used),  without  a 
great  loss  of  sensitiveness;  or  what  is  exactly 
similar,  if  we  use  a  bath  of  a  certain  strength, 
the  quantity  of  iodide  can  not  be  increased  to 
any  amount,  but  must  be  limited  by  the  propor¬ 
tion  of  nitrate  of  silver.  With  a  thirty-five  grain 
solution  of  the  latter,  four  grains  of  bromo- 
iodides,  or  iodides  and  bromides,  answers  very 
well;  but  if  the  quantity  be  increased  to  six 
grains,  there  is  a  great  loss  of  sensitiveness,  the 
effect  being  similar  to  that  arising  from  an  in¬ 
sufficient  amount  of  alcohol  in  the  Collodion,  in 
consequence  of  the  iodide  of  silver  being  de¬ 
posited  superficially,  or  even  falling  off  the  sur¬ 
face  into  the  silver  bath.  It  will  be  well  to  note 
here,  that  the  formulas  for  Collodion  herewith 
given  require  a  silver  solution  of  at  least  45 
grains  to  the  ounce,  and  will  work  much  better 
with  a  fifty  grain  solution. 

By  knowing  the  quantity  of  iodide  contained 
in  a  Collodion,  it  is  easy  to  ascertain  the  amount 
that  the  bath  loses  for  each  ounce,  and  thus  to 
know  exactly  how  much  nitrate  should  be  mixed 
to  maintain  the  strength  ;  thus,  with  a  Collodion 
containing  eight  grains  of  iodide  of  ammonium 
to  the  ounce,  each  ounce  expended  removes  nine 
and  four- tenths  grains  of  nitrate,  but  with  iodide 
of  potassium,  the  quantity  removed  would  be 
slightly  less. 

For  the  purpose  of  pouring  the  Collodion  over 


68 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


the  plates  preparatory  to  their  being  immersed  in 
the  silver  bath,  bottles  of  various  designs  are 
used,  some  of  which  are  patented  and  others  are 
not.  Most  of  them  are  designed  so  as  to  permit 
the  Collodion  to  flow  outward  quite  easily  from 
an  orifice  just  large  enough  to  allow  the  surplus 
Collodion  to  be  turned  back  into  the  bottle  from 
the  plate  ;  this  is  to  prevent  evaporation  as  much 
as  possible,  while  they  are  provided  with  covers 
instead  of  stoppers  to  keep  them  free  from  dust ; 
hence  their  name,  a  cometless  bottles.”  There  is 
a  bottle  recently  invented  and  patented  which 
filters  all  the  Collodion  used,  but  from  its  lia¬ 
bility  to  excessive  evaporation  during  warm 
weather,  its  use  is  not  recommended  during  that 
season ;  while  for  the  cold  season  it  is  entirely 
satisfactory.  The  larger  sizes  of  the  “  cometless 
bottles”  are  very  useful,  for  when  kept  in  con¬ 
stant  use  all  day,  there  is  sufficient  space  in  the 
bottom  for  all  sediment  which  may  form  and  be 
deposited,  to  remain  at  rest  without  being  dis¬ 
turbed  by  the  agitation  incidental  to  flowing 
plates. 


SILVER. 


69 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SILVER. 

“This  metal  may  be  termed  a  photographic 
sine  qua  non ,  for  it  is  more  than  propable  that, 
but  for  its  existence,  all  the  interesting  phe¬ 
nomena  connected  with  photography  would  never 
have  been  observed.” 

Among  the  various  metals,  silver  holds  the 
second  place  in  value  and  usefulness.  It  is  also 
regarded  as  one  of  the  noble  metals,  because  of  its 
resistance  to  the  action  of  atmospheric  air  and  of 
fire.  It  is  described  as  a  soft,  white,  metallic 
element,  very  malleable  and  ductile,  and  capable 
of  a  high  polish.  Its  specific  gravity  is  10.8,  or 
nearly  eleven  times  as  heavy  as  water.  It  occurs 
pure  in  nature,  and  also  in  combination  with 
sulphur,  arsenic,  etc.,  and  with  ores  of  lead, 
copper,  and  gold.  It  is  found  in  veins,  rarely  in 
beds,  in  crystalline  slate  rocks,  gneiss,  mica  slate, 
hornblende,  slate,  granite,  syenite,  porphyry. 

It  is  mined  extensively  in  Norway,  Sweden, 
Saxony,  Bohemia,  Hungary,  Transylvania,  Si¬ 
beria,  the  Hartz,  Baden,  Tyrol,  France,  England, 
Chili,  Peru,  Mexico,  and  in  many  parts  of  the 
United  States.  Among  the  many  celebrated 


70 


THE  FE  RROT Y F E, 


mines  of  this  country  is  the  Comstock  Lode, 
in  the  territory  of  Montana,  out  of  which 
fabulous  amounts  are  taken  yearly. 

Silver  melts  at  a  temperature  of  1873°  Fah¬ 
renheit,  and  at  a  higher  temperature  it  burns 
with  a  reddish  colored  flame,  and  wThen  fused  by 
a  powerful  current  of  electricity,  the  flame  is  of 
a  greenish  cast. 

This  metal  is  so  malleable  and  ductile  that  it 
ranks  next  to  gold  in  that  respect,  and  its 
tenacity  is  so  great  that  it  may  be  drawn  into 
wire  of  exceeding  fineness,  of  which  lace  and 
other  delicate  fabrics  are  made.  It  is  capable  of 
a  most  brilliant  polish ;  the  ancients  used  highly 
polished  plates  of  silver  as  mirrors.  For  the 
brilliancy  of  polish,  as  well  as  for  other  high 
qualities,  it  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  many 
articles  of  beauty  and  utility.  Mixed  with 
copper,  in  the  proportion  of  12}  to  1,  it  forms 
the  standard  of  British  coinage. 

The  earliest  mention  of  silver  is  in  the  Holy 
Bible,  in  the  time  of  Abraham.  We  are  not  there 
informed  of  the  first  discovery  or  use  of  silver, 
either  in  the  arts  or  as  an  article  of  value  for  ex¬ 
change  for  other  commodities  as  Abraham  used  it; 
so  that  Tubal  Cain,  the  first  worker  in  brass  and 
iron,  might  also  have  been  the  first  silversmith. 

Silver  as  wrell  as  gold,  and  indeed  most  other 
metals,  may  be  dissolved  in  acid ;  the  acid  being 
evaporated,  the  silver  remains  in  a  state  of  crys¬ 
tallization  as  a  salt  of  silver. 


SILVER. 


71 


The  different  salts  of  silver  are  obtained  from 
the  ores  or  from  the  metal  itself.  The 

NITRATE  OF  SILVER 

is  obtained  by  dissolving  the  pure  metallic  silver 
in  nitric  acid,  and  is  that  salt  of  silver  upon 
which  all  the  processes  of  photography  are 
founded,  and  beside  which  there  is  no  metallic  or 
other  element  by  which  primary  photographic 
impressions  can  be  made,  although  there  are  other 
substances  which  are  sensitive  to  light.  There 
are  many  processes  for  obtaining  the  pure  nitrate 
of  silver  from  the  ore  or  from  the  metal,  from 
among  which  the  following  is  selected  : 

Pure  nitric  acid  and  water  of  equal  parts 
should  be  placed  in  an  evaporating  dish  over  a 
gentle  heat ;  when  warm,  add  the  silver.  This 
part  of  the  process  should  be  carried  on  out  of 
doors,  or  where  the  draft  of  a  chimney  may  cause 
the  fumes  which  arise  to  be  carried  off  or  be  dis¬ 
sipated.  After  the  silver  is  dissolved,  the  solu¬ 
tion  should  be  evaporated  to  dryness  by  a  slow 
heat,  less  than  will  produce  fusion  of  the  salt. 
When  the  salt  is  dry,  it  should  be  dissolved  in 
the  least  quantity  of  hot  water;  the  solution 
should  then  be  set  aside  to  crystallize. 

The  crystallized  nitrate  may  be  purified  by  re¬ 
dissolving  in  pure  water  and  allowing  it  to  re¬ 
crystallize. 

Nitrate  of  silver  thus  obtained  is  a  dry  salt 
composed  of  oxide  of  silver  and  anhydrous  nitric 


72 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


acid ;  its  chemical  symbol  is  (AgO,  N05),  and 
its  equivalent,  therefore,  170;  its  combining  pro¬ 
portion,  103 ;  its  specific  gravity,  4,336. 

Pure  nitrate  of  silver  is  not  changed  by  the 
action  of  light,  but  when  it  contains  organic 
matter  it  soon  turns  black  under  the  influence  of 
the  sun’s  rays.  Water  will  dissolve  its  equal 
weight  of  silver,  but  a  less  proportion  is  capable 
of  being  dissolved  in  alcohol. 

If  any  substance,  such  as  wood,  ivory,  cloth, 
paper  or  a  photographer’s  finger  is  first  wet  with 
a  solution  of  silver,  and  then  exposed  to  sunlight, 
the  substance  will  be  stained  black,  which  stain 
is  metallic  silver,  reduced  by  the  action  of  the 
light,  which  will  become  apparent  on  burnishing 
the  stain  on  the  wood  or  ivory.  This  black 
stain  is  insoluble  in  all  common  fluids,  and  is  on 
this  account  made  the  basis  of  indellible  inks. 
The  best  ink  of  the  kind  is  made  by  dissolving 
an  infinitesmal  portion  of  silver  in  gum-water, 
at  the  time  when  required  for  use,  when  it  can 
be  applied  to  a  smooth  surface  with  a  pen  ;  upon 
exposure  to  the  light,  it  will  turn  black  in  and 
through  the  fiber  of  the  material  marked  by  this 
truly  indellible  ink. 

Nitrate  of  silver  is  also  used  in  the  compo¬ 
sition  of  hair-dyes,  and  by  photographers  it  is 
frequently  used  involuntarily  as  a  dye  for 
clothes. 

Nitrate  of  silver  is  precipitated  from  solution, 
by  salts  of  iron,  copper,  zinc,  etc.,  in  the  form  of 


SILVER. 


73 


a  metallic  powder- — with  bicarbonate  of  soda  it  is 
precipitated  as  a  carbonate  of  silver. 

When  desirable  to  reduce  silver  from  a  so¬ 
lution  to  a  metallic  state,  the  quickest  and  best 
way  is  to  measure  the  solution,  and  put  in  a  wide- 
mouth  bottle  or  into  an  evaporating  dish,  and  for 
every  fifty  ounces  of  solution  add  three  ounces  of 
sulphuric  acid,  and  three  ounces  of  clean  zinc  in 
strips — iron,  if  more  convenient,  would  answer 
the  same  purpose — the  zinc  or  iron  should  be 
placed  in  the  silver  solution  first,  and  then  the 
acid  part  at  a  time ;  this  part  of  the  process 
should  be  done  out  of  doors,  or  in  a  strong  draft, 
to  carry  off  the  horrible  fumes  which  arise ;  the 
precipitate  forms  rapidly  on  the  zinc,  and  should 
from  time  to  time  be  rubbed  or  scraped  off.  As 
soon  as  ebullition  ceases,  add  more  acid;  at  the 
last,  it  is  well  to  test  the  solution  to  ascertain  if 
the  operation  is  complete,  which  can  be  done  by 
taking  a  small  quantity  of  the  solution,  a  test- 
tube,  and  add  a  drop  or  two  of  hydrocloric  acid, 
or  a  pinch  of  common  salt;  if  a  white  precipitate 
is  formed,  there  still  remains  silver  in  the  so¬ 
lution,  to  reduce  which  add  more  acid  and  clean 
the  zinc. 

After  the  silver  has  been  precipitated,  re¬ 
move  the  remaining  pieces  of  zinc  or  iron,  and 
allow  the  sediment  to  settle,  after  which  pour 
off  the  liquid,  and  wash  the  precipitate  two  or 
three  times  with  clean  water  until  blue  litmus 
paper  ceases  to  turn  red  in  the  liquid,  each  time 


74 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


allowing  the  sediment  to  fall  to  the  bottom  before 
decanting  the  liquid. 

You  have  now  in  the  washed  precipitate  a 
grayish  powder,  which  is  comparatively  pure 
metallic  silver,  which,  if  you  choose,  may  be 
converted  into  solution  again  by  adding  nitric 
acid  sufficient  to  re-dissolve,  or  the  precipitate 
may  be  dried  and  placed  in  a  crucible  with  a 
small  quantity  of  nitrate  of  potash,  and  fused ; 
the  potash  will  remove  any  trace  of  iron  or  zinc. 
I  have  by  this  method  converted  an  old  and  use¬ 
less  solution  of  silver  into  a  good  working  bath 
in  a  very  short  time,  although  it  is  better  not  to 
do  it  in  a  hurry. 

Nitrate  of  silver  may  also  be  reduced  from 
solution  by  evaporating  to  dryness;  at  the  last, 
the  heat  should  be  very  gentle,  because  in  the 
presence  of  organic  matter  the  nitrate  is  easily 
changed  to  pure  silver,  which  would  require  to 
be  re- dissolved. 

The  fused  mass  presents  a  yellowish  appear¬ 
ance,  and  readily  dissolves  in  water,  leaving  the 
organic  matter  and  residues  of  cadmium  and  po¬ 
tassium  in  a  thick,  pasty  mass  of  a  dark  color, 
but  which  also  contains  some  silver,  and  on  that 
account  should  be  saved  with  other  wastes. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  fusion  of  the  residues 
of  photographer's  old  silver  solutions  is  attended 
with  some  danger  from  the  not  improbable 
formation  of  fulminating  silver,  a  most  power¬ 
fully  explosive  compound.  Some  idea  of  its  ex- 


SILVER. 


75 


plosive  force  may  be  obtained  from  one  of 
Charles  Readers  novels. 

The  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  used  by  pho¬ 
tographers  for  the  preparation  of  sensitized  sur¬ 
faces,  or  surfaces  rendered  sensitive  to  the  action 
of  light  by  the  deposition  thereon,  upon  immer¬ 
sion  in  the  silver  solution  of  certain  salts  of  sil¬ 
ver,  such  as  iodides  or  bromides  of  that  metal,  is 
the  most  important  solution  claiming  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  photographer. 

The  formulas  for  the  preparation  of  such  a 
solution  are  almost  innumerable,  and  they  are  as 
diverse  as  are  the  minds  of  their  authors  or  in¬ 
ventors,  and  it  would  appear  that  minds  of  no 
ordinary  inventive  powers  have  been  engaged  in 
such  labors,  judging  from  published  formulas, 
which  may  be  found  in  every  library  of  photo¬ 
graphic  works. 

The  preparation  of  a  silver  solution  or  bath, 
however,  is  a  matter  of  no  small  importance,  as 
upon  its  successful  operation  depends  all  the  in¬ 
terests  of  the  establishment.  The  perfect  opera¬ 
tion  of  the  silver  bath  is  a  matter  of  primary 
importance  to  the  operator,  no  matter  how  it 
may  be  prepared,  or  by  what  formula. 

There  are  various  methods  used  in  the  prepa¬ 
ration  of  nitrate  of  silver  by  manufacturing 
chemists — each  one  may  have  his  own  favorite 
process.  One  firm  may  take  pleasure  in  pro¬ 
ducing  a  quality  that  shall  be  remarkable  for 
the  beauty  and  size  of  its  crystals;  another,  for 


76 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


the  peculiar  whiteness  and  seeming  purity  of 
their  product,  while  yet  another  may  pride  them¬ 
selves  upon  a  high  standard  of  purity,  regardless 
of  the  size  of  the  crystal,  or  of  the  whiteness  and 
brilliancy  thereof.  The  latter  we  would  recom¬ 
mend  wherever  he  may  be  found,  and  having  as¬ 
certained  by  fair  trial  the  purity  of  such  a 
manufacture  of  silver,  ever  continue  to  use  the 
same.  Avoid  change,  because  of  the  uncertainty 
which  must  surely  follow.  Every  change  must 
partake  of  the  nature  of  an  experiment,  and  ex¬ 
periments  should  be  conducted  separately. 

The  quality  of  the  nitrate  of  silver  having 
been  ascertained  and  decided  on,  the  next  thing 
to  be  considered  is  the  purity  of  the  water  used, 
in  which  the  nitrate  is  to  be  dissolved.  One 
will  recommend  distilled  water  for  absolute 
purity ;  another  says  rain-water  is  pure  enough, 
while  others  contend  that  ice-water  is  better  than 
either  of  the  foregoing.  This  is  a  matter  that 
might  well  be  left  to  the  decision  of  each  in¬ 
dividual  for  himself.  Water  may  be  tested  for 
purity  by  dissolving  a  few  graius  of  nitrate  of 
silver  in  a  small  quantity  of  the  water  about  to 
be  used,  when,  if  the  water  remains  clear,  and 
there  is  no  deposit  thrown  down,  the  indications 
are  in  favor  of  its  purity ;  but  if  a  gray  or 
whitish  deposit  takes  place,  or  the  water  changes 
its  color  to  a  white  or  milky  appearance,  it  is  not 
pure. 

In  the  preparation  of  a  solution  of  silver  for  a 


SILVER, 


77 


bath  it  is  always  best  to  procure  the  purest  water, 
but  in  the  absence  of  such,  or  when  distilled, 
rain,  or  ice-water  can  not  be  procured,  the 
operations  of  the  gallery  need  not  cease. 

The  proper  course  to  pursue  in  this  case,  would 
be  to  take  the  water  that  is  used  for  ordinary 
purposes,  and  proceed  as  follows :  In  J  gallon  of 
water,  dissolve  4  ounces  nitrate  of  silver,  and 
add  2  grains  of  iodide  of  potassium.  Shake 
well,  and  set  in  the  sunshine  for  three  or  four 
hours — one  hour  of  clear  sunshine  is  suffi¬ 
cient —  after  which  filter  and  strengthen  as 
desired. 

Forty-five  grains  of  nitrate  to  the  ounce  of 
water  gives  the  most  satisfactory  results.  The 
bath  is  now  ready  for  use,  and  in  most  cases  will 
work  as  perfectly  as  it  ever  will.  Should  it, 
however,  not  work  satisfactorily,  coat  a  plate  of 
glass  with  Collodion  and  immerse  in  the  bath; 
allow  it  to  remain  there  a  few  minutes,  after 
which,  if  the  bath  still  refuses  satisfactory  results, 
add  a  few  drops  of  pure  nitric  acid,  when  you 
will  find  all  difficulties  to  have  disappeared,  and 
the  bath  will  work  splendidly. 

If  the  Collodion  recommended  in  this  book  be 
used  with  the  bath  made  as  above,  it  will  remain 
in  good  condition  until  it  has  been  greatly  re¬ 
duced  in  strength,  and  shall  have  become  so 
saturated  with  alcohol  and  ether  as  to  render  it 
quite  difficult  to  flow  the  developer,  when  it  will 
be  quite  proper  to  replace  with  a  new  or  fresh 


78 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


bath,  which  should  always  be  kept  on  hand  ready 
for  use. 

We  will  now  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the 
solution  just  relieved  from  duty,  and  ascertain 
what  is  necessary  to  be  done  to  again  fit  it  for 
use. 

First,  then,  the  solution  contains  among  its 
disturbing  elements  both  alcohol  and  ether  in 
excess,  which  it  received  in  small  quantities  from 
each  plate  that  has  been  immersed,  and  the 
presence  of  which  is  indicated  by  a  slower  oper¬ 
ation  of  the  bath  in  coating  the  plate;  and  in  the 
operation  of  developing,  by  the  difficulty  ex¬ 
perienced  in  flowing  the  developer  evenly  and 
smoothly  over  the  plate. 

The  solution  may  also  contain  iodide  of  silver 
in  excess,  called  free  iodide,  which  it  also  receives 
in  minute  quantities  from  the  sensitized  Collodion 
with  which  the  plates  are  coated  before  immersion 
in  the  bath.  The  Collodion  contains  iodine, 
which,  upon  the  introduction  of  the  plate  into  the 
silver  solution,  immediately  combines  with  the 
silver  to  form  an  iodide  of  silver  upon  and  in  the 
collodionized  surface;  in  this  operation,  portions 
of  iodine  escape,  and  combining  with  the  silver, 
is  held  in  solution  in  the  bath  until  such  time  as 
a  greater  quantity  has  been  received  than  can  be 
held  in  solution,  when  the  character  of  the  iodide 
changes  from  a  state  of  solution  to  that  of  suspen¬ 
sion,  in  which  state,  innumerable  small  particles 
or  atoms  of  iodide  of  silver  are  floating  in  and 


SILVER. 


79 


through  the  solution.  Free  iodide  in  the  bath 
is  indicated  by  pin-holes  in  negatives,  and  by  a 
rough  and  sanded  appearance  of  the  plate  when 
removed  from  the  bath,  and  by  being  covered 
by  black  spots  when  developed. 

The  solution  may  also  contain  an  excess  of 
organic  matter,  the  presence  of  which  is  indicated 
by  a  tendency  to  fog  in  the  development,  and  by 
an  absence  of  transparency  in  the  shadows,  to 
counteract  which  pure  nitric  acid  is  used.  The 
acid  holds  the  organic  matter  in  solution,  but  it 
has  also  the  evil  effect  of  hastening  the  accumu¬ 
lation  of  the  cause  of  the  first  difficulty,  by 
attacking  the  edges  and  unprotected  portions  of 
the  plates,  and  by  taking  up  and  holding  in  so¬ 
lution  such  particles  of  organic  matter  as  may 
collect  in  and  upon  the  surface  of  the  bath  dish. 
For  this  reason,  the  use  of  nitric  acid  in  the  bath, 
except  in  cases  where  it  is  absolutely  necessary, 
should  be  discountenanced. 

We  find,  then,  that  our  old  solution  is  bur¬ 
dened  with  a  number  of  evil  qualities,  which  we 
will  proceed  to  dispose  of,  and  casting  out,  re¬ 
store  the  solution  to  its  pristine  purity.  For 
that  purpose,  we  will  add  to  the  solution  suffi¬ 
cient  carbonate  of  soda  or  concentrated  ammonia 
to  counteract  the  acid,  barely  enough  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  change  of  color  in  litmus  paper  from 
blue  to  red  when  immersed  in  the  solution. 
We  will  now  pour  into  an  evaporating,  or  other 
dish,  four  fluid  ounces  of  water,  into  which  we 


80 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


will  pour  tlie  half-gallon  more,  or  less,  of  so¬ 
lution  ;  the  effect  is  to  change  the  transparency 
of  the  solution  to  a  dense  milky  whiteness,  which 
is  iodide  of  silver,  set  free  by  reducing  the 
strength  of  the  solution.  This  should  now  be 
filtered  to  remove  the  iodide,  after  which  it 
should  be  returned  to  the  evaporating  dish,  and 
set  over  a  fire,  and  boiled  down  to  less  than  the 
original  quantity ;  this  will  effectually  remove, 
by  evaporation,  the  alcohol  and  ether.  There 
will,  also,  during  the  process  of  boiling  down, 
be  deposited  a  black,  muddy  sediment,  which  is 
partly -iodide  of  silver  and  partly  organic  matter. 
The  solution  should  be  then  diluted  with  cold 
water  enough  to  restore  to  the  original  quantity, 
poured  into  a  white  glass  bottle,  and  set  in 
the  sunshine  for  a  day,  or  until  it  is  again  re¬ 
quired  for  use,  when  it  should  be  strengthened  by 
adding  fresh  nitrate  of  silver,  to  restore  it  to  the 
standard  strength  of  45  grains  to  the  ounce  fluid. 

During  the  summer  season,  when  the  sun  is 
bright  and  warm,  it  is  not  necessary  to  boil  the 
bath  solution  to  remove  the  alcohol  and  ether. 
The  bath,  when  unfit  for  further  use,  should  be 
neutralized  and  set  in  the  sunshine,  after  being 
diluted  with  sufficient  water  to  restore  it  to  its 
original  bulk.  It  will  be  well  to  notice  that,  in 
diluting  or  adding  water  to  an  old  bath,  the 
water  should  not  be  poured  into  the  bath,  but  the 
bath  solution  should  be  poured  into  the  dish  con¬ 
taining  the  water  it  is  intended  to  add,  the  effect 


STTiYEIi. 


81 

of  which  is  to  set  free  a  greater  quantity  of  the 
iodide  of  silver.  By  pouring  the  bath  solution 
into  the  water,  the  first  part  of  the  solution  is 
compelled  to  give  up  all  or  nearly  all  of  its 
iodide,  while  the  last  to  go  in  will  have  to  part 
with  as  much  in  proportion  as  would  the  whole,  if 
the  water  had  been  added  to  the  solution. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  will  cause  the  ether  and 
alcohol  to  evaporate  from  the  solution,  which, 
being  free  from  acid,  the  particles  of  organic 
matter  are  no  longer  held  in  solution,  in  which 
state  the  light  could  have  no  effect;  but  being  in 
suspension,  and  being  saturated  with  silver,  the 
light  falling  upon  and  passing  through  them, 
causes  a  chemical  change  to  take  place  in  the 
innumerable  particles  or  atoms,  the  nitrate  or 
iodide  of  silver  they  contain  is  changed  into  a 
metallic  state,  or  into  some  other  combination,  by 
which  they  become  heavier  and  fall  to  the  bottom. 

The  appearance  of  the  solution  during  this 
process  is  altogether  changed  from  a  total  absence 
of  color  to  a  light  red,  then  a  darker  shade,  and 
then  quite  black  ;  the  black  particles  then  fall  to 
the  bottom,  and  the  solution  becomes  once  more 
colorless.  When  required  for  use,  it  should  be 
strengthened,  and  is  then  ready. 

During  the  season  of  cold  weather,  it  is  neces¬ 
sary,  in  order  to  remove  the  alcohol,  to  boil  the 
solution,  as  evaporation  by  sun  heat  at  that  sea¬ 
son  of  the  year  would  be  a  slow  process.  After 
filtering  such  a  solution  the  filter  should  be  pre- 
fi 


82 


THE  FERROTYPE, 


served  for  the  Silver  which  is  contained  therein. 
All  other  wastes  of  the  dark-room,  such  as  cloths 
for  wiping  holders,  paper  on  which  plates  are 
drained  when  taken  from  the  bath,  and  every 
thing  which  has  any  trace  of  Silver  upon  it 
should  be  kept  in  a  receptacle  for  the  purpose, 
and  after  the  collection  of  a  sufficient  quantity 
should  be  treated  for  the  recovery  of  the  Silver. 

The  loss  of  Silver  in  washing  pictures  after 
development,  and  in  the  waste  of  the  solution  of 
cyanide  of  potassium,  in  which  they  are  cleared 
or  fixed,  may  be  prevented  by  having  a  water¬ 
tight  box  or  barrel,  which  will  hold  all  the  water 
likely  to  be  used  in  a  day’s  work,  placed  under 
the  water  faucet.  Every  evening  a  quantity  of 
solution  of  common  sulphate  of  iron  should  be 
thrown  into  the  water,  and  in  the  morning  the 
water  should  be  drawn  off  by  a  syphon,  leaving 
room  for  another  day’s  work,  when  the  same 
process  may  be  repeated.  This  apparatus  costs 
very  little  infringes  no  patent,  and  will  save  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  business  done  from 
one  to  many  pounds  of  Silver  each  year. 

Much  silver  may  be  saved  from  the  develop¬ 
ing  of  plates  by  performing  that  operation  over 
a  large  funnel  in  which  may  be  placed  a  loose 
cotton  filter,  or,  what  is  better,  an  old  felt  hat 
may  be  used,  by  tacking  the  rim  to  a  frame;  the 
solution  will  filter  through,  leaving  all  the  Sil¬ 
ver  washed  from  the  surface  of  the  plate.  The 
developer  may  be  received  below  in  a  wide- 


RILVETl. 


83 


mouth  bottle,  and  can  be  used  again  with  great 
advantage  in  the  proportion  of  two  parts  of  old 
to  one  of  new.  After  using  the  hat  for  a  year, 
the  deposit  which  remains,  and  is  nearly  all 
metallic  silver,  may  be  recovered  by  the  proper 
means. 

Every  precaution  should  be  taken  against  the 
waste  of  Silver;  time  and  money  can  not  be 
better  invested  than  in  devising  and  procuring 
appliances  for  saving  the  Silver  which  would 
otherwise'  be  lost  in  the  water  that  runs  from 
your  dark-room  sink.  When  it  is  taken  into 
consideration  that  of  all  the  Silver  used  in  photo¬ 
graphic  establishments,  in  making  positives  and 
negatives,  not  more  than  ten  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  remains  in  the  finished  picture,  either  posi¬ 
tive  or  negative,  an  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
amount  that  passes  into  the  sewers,  unless  in¬ 
tercepted  before  it  reaches  the  pipes  conducting 
thereto.  This  great  waste  of  precious  metal  has 
no  excuse,  neither  can  there  be  any  excuse  for  it, 
and,  therefore,  it  claims  and  is  receiving  more 
attention  year  by  year;  in  fact,  in  the  larger 
cities  every  gallery  has  its  apparatus  for  saving 
the  Silver. 

Two  gentlemen  have  become  famous  among 
photographers  by  the  attempted  enforcement  of  a 
patent  which  they  claimed  for  recovering  the 
salts  of  silver  from  solution.  Their  claim  cov¬ 
ered  every  known  means  of  precipitation  of 
nitrate  of  silver  from  solution. 


84 


TIIE  FERROTYPE. 


Glass  Bath. — To  bold  the  Nitrate  of  Silver 
solution,  nothing  can  be  so  surely  depended  upon 
for  chemical  purity  as  glass.  No  other  descrip¬ 
tion  of  bath  dish  affords  the  same  advantages. 
The  most  desirable  dish  is  the  “  solid  glass,”  of 
which  sizes  from  6.  by  8.  to  14.  by  20.  inches,  are 
neatly  inclosed  in  light  wooden  boxes,  with 
hinged  covers,  to  exclude  light  and  dust.  These 
bath  dishes  are,  however,  quite  expensive,  and 
this  to  the  ferrotypist  who  makes  pictures  for 
profit,  is  a  very  important  consideration.  They 
are  also,  unfortunately,  very  liable  to  break,  and 
the  breakage  of  one  of  these  baths,  especially 
when  filled  with  silver  solution,  is  no  laughing 
matter. 

There  is  another  quality  of  glass  bath  which  is 
made  of  pieces  of  plate  glass,  cemented  together 
with  marine  glue  or  other  substance  capable  of 
resisting  the  action  of  silver  solution,  and  incased 
solidly  with  wood.  These  also  are  expensive, 
and  a  re ‘.very  heavy. 

Another  and  less  expensive  bath  dish  has  lately 
been  adopted  in  some  galleries.  It  is  a  light  box 
of  suitable  shape,  made  of  clear  pine,  free  from 
knots  or  blemishes,  the  pieces  joined  with  either 
asphaltum,  coal  tar,  or  pitch,  and  screwed  firmly 
together.  The  box,  when  complete,  is  filled  with 
hot  coal  tar,  such  as  is  used  for  roofing,  and  after 
a  time  is  emptied  and  allowed  to  dry.  The  edges 
of  the  cover  and  the  top  of  the  box  are  carefully 
saturated  with  the  tar,  and  when  thoroughly  dry 


SI  LVJEK. 


85 


are  varnished,  and  the  box  is  then  fit  for  use, 
and  is,  when  properly  made,  cheap,  durable,  and 
efficient. 

It  is  not  considered  necessary  to  describe  the 
qualities  of  porcelain,  rubber,  or  photographic- 
ware  baths,  as  their  good  qualities  are  few  and 
their  bad  qualities  are  not  properly  describable. 
The  bath  dish  should  always  be  scrupulously 
clean,  and  when  in  use  should  be  kept  covered. 
When  the  solution  requires  filtering,  the  dish 
should  be  cleaned  with  a  swab,  to  remove  the 
sediment  from  the  bottom  and  sides. 


86 


THE  FERROTYPF 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 

Proto-Sulphate  of  Iron  as  a  Developer. 

The  developing  solution,  is  an  aqueous  solution 
of  iron  with  acid,  and  sometimes  alcohol.  The 
form  in  which  iron  can  be  used  as  a  developing 
agent  is  that  of  a  crystalized  salt.  This  salt, 
often  termed  copperas  or  green  vitriol,  is  a  sub¬ 
stance  formed  in  abundant  quantities,  and  is  used 
for  a  variety  of  purposes  in  the  arts.  Commer¬ 
cial  sulphate  of  iron,  however,  being  prepared  on 
a  large  scale,  requires  re-crystallization  to  render 
it  sufficiently  pure  for  photographic  purposes. 

Pure  sulphate  of  iron  occurs  in  the  form  of 
large  transparent  crystals^  of  a  delicate  green 
color.  By  exposure  to  the  air  they  gradually 
absorb  oxygen,  and  become  rusty  on  the  surface. 
The  sulphate  of  iron,  colorless  at  first,  afterward 
changes  to  a  red  tint,  and  deposits  a  brown 
powder.  This  powder  is  basic  persulphate  of 
iron ;  that  is,  a  persulphate  containing  an  excess 
of  oxide  or  base.  By  the  addition  of  acetic  acid 
to  the  solution,  the  formation  of  a  deposit  is  pre¬ 
vented,  the  brown  powder  being  soluble  in  acid 
liquids. 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 


87 


The  action  of'  sulphate  of  iron  upon  the  nitrate 
of  silver  solution  is  to  change  its  character  by 
converting  the  silver  of  the  solution  to  a  metallic 
state,  in  which  state  it  is  deposited  in  the  form  of 
a  grayish  powder,  the  character  of  the  deposit 
being  somewhat  affected  by  the  acid. 

Various  acids  are  used  in  the  developing  so¬ 
lution.  The  most  prominent  are  acetic,  glacial 
acetic,  nitric,  citric,  gallic,  and  pyrogallic  acids. 
The  last  three,  however,  are  more  used  in  the 
process  of  re-development  of  negatives.  The 
first  is,  for  many  reasons,  the  best,  and  is  gen¬ 
erally  used  in  solutions  for  the  primary  develop¬ 
ment  of  negatives  and  always  for  positives. 

Acetic  acid  is  a  product  of  the  oxydation  of 
alcohol.  Spirituous  liquors  when  perfectly  pure 
are  not  affected  by  exposure  to  the  air,  but  if  a 
portion  of  yeast  or  nitrogen  ions  organic  matter  of 
any  kind  be  added  it  soon  acts  as  a  ferment,  and 
causes  the  spirit  to  unite  with  oxygen  derived 
from  the  atmosphere,  and  so  to  become  sour  from 
the  formation  of  acetic  acid  or  vinegar.  Acetic 
acid  is  also  produced  on  a  large  scale  by  heating 
wood  in  a  close  vessel.  A  substance  distills  over, 
which  is  acetic  acid  contaminated  with  empyreu- 
matic  and  tarry  matter;  it  is  termed  pyrolig¬ 
neous  acid,  and  is  much  used  in  commerce. 

The  most  concentrated  acetic  acid  may  be 
obtained  bv  neutralizing  common  vinegar  with 
carbonate  of  soda,  and  crystallizing  out  the  acetate 
of  soda  so  formed.  This  acetate  of  soda  is  then 


88 


TITE  FERROTYPE. 


distilled  with  sulphuric  acid,  which  removes  the 
soda,  and  liberates  acetic  acid,  which,  being  vola¬ 
tile,  distills  over  and  may  be  condensed. 

The  use  of  acetic  acid  in  the  developing  so¬ 
lution,  besides  its  preservative  effect  upon  the 
solution  itself,  is  for  the  purpose  of  retarding  the 
action  of  the  iron  in  the  reduction  of  the  salts  of 
silver  to  a  metallic  state,  also  favorably  affecting 
the  character  of  the  deposit.  Alcohol  is  used  in 
the  developing  solution  for  the  purpose  of  caus¬ 
ing  it  to  flow  evenly  and  smoothly  over  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  plate. 

When  new  silver  is  used  for  coating  the  plate, 
the  developer  requires  no  alcohol,  but  as  every 
plate  which  is  immersed  in  the  silver  solution  im¬ 
parts  to  it  a  portion  of  ether  and  alcohol  from 
the  collodion  film,  the  silver  bath  soon  acquires 
enough  to  change  somewhat  the  character  of  the 
sensitized  surface,  giving  it  the  power  to  repel 
the  developing  solution.  By  the  addition  of 
alcohol  to  the  developing  solution  this  repelling 
power  is  overcome. 

We  will  now  describe  the  process  of  develop¬ 
ment.  The  correct  definition  of  the  last  word  of 
the  title  at  the  head  of  this  article,  according  to 
Webster,  is,  “  The  act  of  developing  or  disclosing 
that  which  is  unknown/’  and  beautifully  describes 
one  of  the  wonderful  processes  of  our  art. 

A  ferro-plate  is  coated  with  collodion  and  im¬ 
mersed  in  a  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver.  After 
being  allowed  to  remain  a  few  minutes,  it  is  re- 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 


89 


moved  and  placed  in  the  shield  or  plate-holder. 
This  operation  must  be  done  in  a  dark  chamber, 
or  in  one  the  light  of  which  is  of  non-actinic 
character ;  for  so  sensitive  is  the  plate  on  being 
removed  from  the  bath,  that  the  smallest  ray  of 
white  or  actinic  light  falling  upon  it,  leaves  its 
mark.  Tne  plate  when  removed  from  the  bath 
is  found  to  be  changed  in  appearance ;  the  glossy 
black  surface  no  longer  shows  through  the  trans¬ 
parent  collodion  film,  but,  instead,  a  beautiful 
creamy  opacity  hides  the  surface  from  view.  The 
plate-holder  is  now  taken  to  the  camera  and  ex¬ 
posed  to  the  action  of  light  reflected  from  some 
object  animate  or  inanimate;  after  which  it  is 
again  removed  to  the  dark  chamber.  If  now  it 
be  subjected  to  the  most  careful  examination,  no 
visible  change  can  be  noted.  It  lias  the  same 
rich  yellowish  white  color,  and  is  as  opaque  as 
before.  A  very  important  change  has,  however, 
taken  place  in  the  character,  if  not  in  the  appear¬ 
ance,  of  the  surface,  which  change  can  only  be 
made  apparent  to  the  eye,  and  the  chemical  action 
of  light  on  the  sensitized  film  can  only  be  made 
known  through  the  action  of  the  developing  so¬ 
lution  in  the  process  of  development. 

The  plate  may  now.  be  removed  from  the 
holder,  and  being  held  by  the  left  hand  between 
the  thumb  and  fore-finger,  the  other  fingers  acting 
as  a  brace  to  support  it  and  keep  it  steady,  a  so¬ 
lution  is  poured  gently  but  quickly  upon  the  end 
and  corner  nearest  the  hand,  and  caused  to  flow 


90 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


evenly  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  plate,  with 
out  allowing  it  to  rest  at  any  part  until  the  whole 
is  covered  ;  and  for  that  purpose  the  plate  should 
be  held  so  as  to  incline  downward,  and  always 
away  from  the  holder.  After  the  whole  surface 
shall  have  been  covered,  the  solution  should  be 
caused  to  flow  backward  and  forward,  by  gently 
rocking  the  plate,  taking  care  not  to  allow  any 
of  the  solution  to  run  off,  either  when  pouring  on 
or  afterward,  until  the  process  is  complete. 

The  solution  will  hardly  have  covered  the 
plate  before  an  image  will  begin  to  be  developed, 
at  first  slowly,  then  quicker  and  more  plainly  it 
will  appear,  until  in  a  short  time  the  perfect 
image  will  stand  out  boldly,  when  the  develop¬ 
ment  is  complete. 

It  is  the  process  of  development,  and  the  chem¬ 
ical  and  other  changes  which  take  place  under 
the  action  of  the  developing  solution,  which  it  is 
desired  to  explain  and  make  clear  to  the  intelli¬ 
gence  of  the  reader. 

First,  then,  we  will  try  to  explain  the  chemical 
action  which  takes  place  in  the  sensitized  collo¬ 
dion  film,  when  exposed  in  the  camera.  The 
collodion  plate,  upon  being  taken  from  the  silver 
lath,  has  received  in  and  on  its  surface  a  deposit, 
more  or  less  dense,  of  iodide  of  silver,  which, 
upon  being  exposed  in  the  camera  to  the  action  of 
light  reflected  from  an  inanimate  object  or  from  a 
person  sitting  for  a  portrait,  is  converted  to  a 
sub-iodide  by  the  loss  of  oxygen,  chlorine,  etc.; 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  91 


or  as  it  is  otherwise  explained,  the  iodide  of  silver 
contains  a  portion  of  oxygen,  which  it  is  known 
has  but  litte  affinity  with  the  noble  metals.  By 
the  action  of  light  the  iodide  of  silver  is  caused 
to  give  off  a  portion  or  all  of  its  oxygen,  and 
the  silver  with  which  it  was  combined  is  at  once 
reduced  to  a  metallic  state,  but  in  so  small  a  pro¬ 
portion  as  not  to  affect  the  appearance  of  the 
plate  to  the  eye. 

The  change  that  has  taken  place,  then,  is  that 
the  image  of  the  sitter  is  impressed  on  the  sen¬ 
sitized  film,  the  light  parts,  such  as  the  face,  hands, 
and  parts  of  the  clothing  reflecting  light;  by 
a  change  of  the  iodide  of  silver  to  a  metallic 
state,  the  dark  portions,  such  as  hair,  eyes  and 
shadows  of  the  dress  having  no  effect,  or  very 
little  if  any,  upon  the  film. 

The  plate  being  now  taken  to  the  developing 
stand,  the  developer,  an  aqueous  solution  of  iron 
with  acid,  is  flowed  upon  it,  the  effect  being  that 
the  .  iron  and  acid  act  upon  the  nitrate  of  silver 
with  which  the  plate  is  still  wet,  and  causes  a 
deposit  of  pure  metallic  silver  upon  all  parts  of 
the  surface  which  is  prepared  to  receive  it,  which 
parts  are  those  that  have  been  touched  by  light  and 
have  been  converted  into  a  metallic  state,  so  that 
the  development  causes  a  greater  deposit  of  me¬ 
tallic  silver  upon  those  parts  only  where  metallic 
silver  lfas  been  formed  by  the  action  of  light. 
At  this  stage,  when  the  development  is  complete, 
we  find  that  all  portions  of  the  plate  that  have 


92 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


not  felt  the  action  of  light,  remain  as  opaque  as 
before  exposure,  and  with  very  little  if  any  change 
of  color,  remaining  in  the  same  state  as  when 
taken  from  the  bath,  that  is,  iodide  of  silver; 
but  the  image,  which  now  stands  out  plainly,  is 
composed  of  metallic  silver  in  the  light  and  in¬ 
termediate  part,  and  iodide  of  silver  in  the  shad¬ 
ows.  If  the  plate  is  now  immersed  in  a  solution  of 
cyanide  of  potassium  (which  is  a  powerful  solvent 
of  the  iodide  of  silver),  it  will  at  once  be  dissolved 
and  removed,  leaving  the  image,  which  is  in  the 
light  parts  metallic  silver,  in  the  dark  parts  the 
black  surface  of  the  plate  showing  through  the  col¬ 
lodion  film;  so  that  the  action  of  light  in  the 
camera  is  to  produce  on  the  surface  of  the  sensit¬ 
ized  plate,  an  image  of  the  object  in  focus  in 
metallic  silver,  which  serves  as  a  basis  upon 
which  to  deposit  more  metallic  silver  in  the  pro¬ 
cess  of  development.  And  as  metallic  silver  in 
this  process  will  not  deposit  itself  except  upon  a 
metallic  surface,  we  can  easily  understand  why  an 
image  may  not  be  developed  upon  an  under  ex¬ 
posed  plate,  as  the  exposure  will  not  have  been 
of  sufficient  duration  to  have  formed  a  basis.  An 
over-exposure,  in  like  manner,  will  have  destroyed 
the  proper  gradations  by  extending  the  primary 
change  into  the  shadows. 

The  development  of  the  latent  image  comes 
second  only  in  importance  to  the  posing  and 
lighting  of  the  subject  preparatory  to  the  ex¬ 
posure  of  the  plate,  to  which  I  concede  the  first 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 


93 


place  only  for  the  reason  that  if  the  lighting  is 
faulty  and  the  position  is  bad,  the  best  develop¬ 
ment  will  not  make  a  good  picture. 

The  whole  treatment  of  this  manipulation  de 
mands  from  the  operator  a  judicious  appreciation 
of  the  nature  of  the  subject — the  time  of  exposure, 
the  temperature,  the  nature  of  the  component 
parts  of  the  developing  solution,  and  the  exercise 
of  a  good  judgment,  a  quick  eye,  and  a  steady 
hand.  In  fact,  very  great  importance  attaches 
itself  to  every  particular  of  this  process,  as  much 
to  the  quality  of  the  materials  used  as  to  their 
true  proportions  and  harmonious  effect ;  all  of 
which  is  particularly  true  of  the  development  of 
Ferrotypes,  for  upon  this  process  depends  all  the 
brilliancy,  the  beauty,  tone,  and  all  that  makes 
the  picture  desirable. 

In  the  preparation  of  a  developing  solution  for 
Ferrotypes,  we  must  first  consider  that  we  desire 
"O  produce  a  different  effect  in  the  positive 
picture  from  what  is  requisite  in  a  negative;  that 
me  effects  we  want  in  the  positive  would  be  un¬ 
desirable  in  a  negative,  and,  therefore,  the  solu¬ 
tion  that  would  develop  a  negative  properly  would 
be  unsuitable  for  a  Ferrotype,  and  vice  vey'sa. 

The  Ferrotype,  to  be  admired,  must  be  full  of 
detail,  as  much  so  as  the  negative.  The  shadows, 
also,  should  be  as  transparent  and  clear,  but  the 
lights  should  be  pure  and  as  white  as  the  pure 
silver  will  make  them ;  for  upon  the  purity  of 
the  high  lights  and  the  transparency  of  the 


94 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


shadows  depends  the  brilliancy  of  the  pictures, 
that  quality  which  above  all  others  makes  the 
Ferrotype  the  rival  of  the  Daguerreotype.  The 
proper  solution  for  developing  Ferrotypes  is  the 
one  which  will  produce  these  effects  in  the  highest 
degree,  and  will  also  produce  the  most  satisfac¬ 
tory  effects  with  the  greatest  certainty,  with  the 
possibility  of  its  modification  to  suit  the  ever 
varying  exigencies  of  the  dark  room. 

It  has  always  been  the  good  fortune  of  the 
writer  to  find  the  most  encouraging  results  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  the  simplest  causes,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  simplest  processes  in  the  every-day  work 
of  the  gallery  produced  invariably  the  best  re¬ 
sults — probably  because  where  there  are  a  few 
things  to  learn  and  understand  properly,  they 
can  be  better  learned  and  more  thoroughly  un¬ 
derstood  than  when  there  are  many. 

The  formula  for  developing  solution,  given  be¬ 
low,  will  be  found  by  careful  trial  every  thing 
that  can  be  desired  for  Ferrotypes,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  it  will,  if  adopted  for  use,  be  always 
used  as  directed : 


Water . 64  oz. 

Protosulphate  of  Iron .  4  “ 

Acetic  Acid .  4  “ 

Alcohol .  4  “ 


The  four  ounces  of  iron  should  be  put  into  a  loose 
filter,  and  the  water  filtered  through,  which  will  dis¬ 
solve  the  iron  readily.  The  acetic  acid  need  not 
be  added  until  required  for  use.  The  alcohol  need 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  95 


not  be  added  at  all,  if  the  solution  flows  readily 
on  the  plate ;  it  is,  however,  better  to  add  it  at 
once  to  make  sure. 

To  use  the  solution,  the  proper  way  is  to  de¬ 
velop  over  a  funnel  large  enough  to  receive  all  the 
waste  solution  that  may  run  off  the  plate  in  flow¬ 
ing,  allowing  it  to  filter  through  cotton  into  a 
bottle  below,  being  careful  always  to  drain  the 
plate  under  development  of  all  surplus  solution 
before  the  development  is  complete,  so  that  all 
the  solution  will  be  saved,  and  being  filtered  free 
from  the  silver  taken  up  during  the  development, 
falls  into  the  bottle  below  and  is  ready  for  use 
again,  which  may  be  done  by  adding  two-thirds 
of  the  old  solution  to  one-third  of  the  new.  It 
will  be  seen  that,  in  order  to  use  so  large  a  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  old  solution,  it  will  be  necessary 
that  at  least  two-thirds  of  all  that  is  used  should 
fall  into  the  filter,  but  by  giving  attention  to  the 
directions  above  a  larger  proportion  can  very  easily 
be  saved.  By  this  process  we  obtain  a  solution 
that  will  produce  the  best  chemical  effects  in  the 
Ferrotype,  with  the  least  outlay  for  materials, 
for  it  will  be  seen  that  we  are  using  only  one- 
third  the  quantity  of  new  solution  that  would 
otherwise  be  expended,  so  that  if  Ferrotypes  are 
made  for  profit,  here  is  a  large  saving,  which  in 
a  profit,  of  two-thirds  of  the  ordinary  expense 
for  developing  materials. 

This  solution  may  also  be  modified  to  suit  all 
degrees  of  temperature,  and  all  periods  of  ex- 


96 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


posure,  by  varying  the  proportions  of  old  and 
new.  If  we  have  given  too  much  time  in  ex¬ 
posure,  we  may  weaken  the  solution  with  the 
old ;  if  too  short  an  exposure  has  been  made,  we 
strengthen  with  new.  If  it  is  desired  to  produce 
a  white  ground  and  purer  high  lights,  the  plate 
may  be  flowed  with  a  small  portion  of  the  old 
unfiltered,  which  gives  a  heavy  deposit  of  silver; 
this,  however,  should  not  be  done  until  after  the 
plate  is  partially  developed  by  the  ordinary  so¬ 
lution. 

An  excellent  filter  has  been  before  described, 
but  is  worthy  of  more  careful  attention  in  this 
connection.  A  soft  felt  hat  may  be  stretched  on 
a  frame,  or  placed  in  a  large  glass  funnel,  over 
which  to  develop  all  pictures;  the  surplus  solu¬ 
tion  falling  into  the  hat  is  more  perfectly  filtered, 
and  the  deposit  which  remains  in  the  filter,  after 
enough  shall  have  collected  to  interfere  with  its 
usefulness,  being  all  silver,  may  be  recovered  in  a 
metallic  State  by  any  of  the  processes  usually  em¬ 
ployed  for  that  purpose,  among  which  the  follow¬ 
ing  will  be  found  the  most  economical,  and, 
perhaps,  within  the  means  and  ability  of  a 
greater  number  than  would  by  any  other  pro¬ 
cess  : 

The  residue  may  be  taken  from  the  filter,  and 
placed  in  a  porcelain  evaporating  dish  containing 
a  solution  composed  of  equal  parts  of  nitric  acid 
and  water;  the  whole  should  be  gently  heated 
until  the  action  of  the  acid  has  ceased,  when  the 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  97 


heat  may  be  increased,  and  the  product  evapo¬ 
rated  to  dryness;  it  may  then,  again,  be  dissolved 
in  water,  converted  into  a  metallic  state  by  the 
process  described  in  the  article  on  silver,  and 
re-converted  into  nitrate. 

This  process  will  give  a  perfectly  pure  nitrate 
of  silver,  and  is  probably  the  most  economical 
and  certain  in  its  results  of  all  the  different 
methods  for  recovering  silver  from  photographic 
wastes. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  process  of  develop¬ 
ment  should  be  carefully  studied  by  the  Ferro- 
typist,  principally  because  so  much  of  the  success 
of  the  establishment  depends  on  the  production 
of  a  brilliant  and  pleasing  pictorial  effect,  which, 
in  turn,  depends  on  the  development,  so  that  a 
habit  of  noting  every  varying  phase  of  the 
process,  and  of  applying  corrections  here,  ac¬ 
celerants  there,  and  checks  and  aids  wherever 
required,  will  be  found  of  incalculable  advan¬ 
tage. 

This  constant  watchfulness  might  well  be  ex¬ 
tended  to  and  include  every  manipulation  and 
every  process  that  goes  to  the  production  of  the 
picture ;  but  nowhere  else  is  it  so  necessary,  and 
in  no  other  place  will  it  result  in  so  much  good, 
as  in  the  dark-room,  while  watching  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  image  as  it  emerges  from  obscurity 
and  nothingness;  for  here  we  have  under  our 
observation  the  plate ;  we  are  to  judge  at  this 
time,  the  sufficiency  of  the  coating  of  iodide 
7 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


98 

derived  from  the  bath,  of  the  time  of  exposure, 
whether  too  long  or  too  short,  of  the  propriety  of 
the  lighting  and  posing,  and  of  the  action  of  the 
developing  solution ;  in  every  particular  of  which 
there  is  an  endless  variation  which  taxes  every 
power  of  the  mind,  and  the  study  of  which  is  an 
endless  source  of  pleasure  and  excitement.  It  is 
well,  also,  to  accustom  the  eye  to  note,  and  the 
mind  to  judge  of  the  strength  of  light  passing 
through  the  lens,  and  thrown  on  the  ground  or 
object-glass,  so  that  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
guess  at  the  proper  time  of  exposure.  This  may 
be  made  a  matter  of  certainty  by  a  course  of 
careful  observation,  and  of  noting  all  mistakes, 
and  remembering  all  successes. 

In  this  connection,  I  am  tempted  to  give  ex¬ 
pression  to  a  feeling  of  contempt  which  I  have 
always  felt  for  mere  guess-work  in  this  or  any 
other  art  or  business.  It  betokens  the  lack  of 
that  careful  habit  of  study  and  observation, 
without  which  no  considerable  degree  of  success 
can  ever  be  attained.  What  would  be  said  of 
the  watchmaker,  to  whom  you  had  taken  your 
watch,  if  he  could  not  indicate  the  exact  nature 
and  cause  of  the  stoppage  or  the  variation  you 
wished  corrected?  So  of  the  Ferrotypist,  if  he 
could  not  tell  wherein  his  picture  was  defective, 
and  had  not  the  ability  to  apply  the  proper 
remedy.  Of  course,  all  this  must  be  acquired, 
but  it  can  never  be  acquired  without  much 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 


99 


pains-taking  study.  Again,  I  say  to  the  Fer¬ 
ro  typist, 

Observe,  and  remember ! 

Experiment,  and  remember ! 

If  you  make  a  mistake,  remember ! 

Or  are  successful,  remember ! 

Remember  every  thing  ! 

Fixing  Solution. — A  bath  dish  of  the  same 
size  as  that  used  for  the  silver  solution,  large 
enough  to  take  the  largest  plate  exposed,  should 
be  used  for  the  cyanide  of  potassium,  or  fixing 
solution  ;  the  plates  should  be  fixed  or  cleared  up 
by  dipping  them  into  the  solution  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  collodionized  plates  are  immersed 
in  the  silver  bath.  The  cyanide  dish  should 
always  be  covered,  to  avoid  the  deleterious  fumes 
which  arise  from  that  solution,  and  it  is  for  this 
reason,  as  well  as  its  greater  convenience,  that 
such  a  bath  dish  is  recommended. 

Rubber  dippers  are  the  best  for  both  the  silver 
and  the  fixing  solutions,  as  the  vulcanized  rubber 
has  no  appreciable  effect  on  either. 

Cyanide  of  Potassium,  and  its  use  as  a 
Fixing  Solution. — The  sensitized  plate  having 
been  exposed,  and  the  image  developed,  it  re¬ 
quires  to  pass  through  yet  further  treatment  to 
render  the  image  indestructible  by  light.  It  is 
true  that  the  developed  image  is  permanent,  but 
it  is  surrounded  by,  and  contains  in  its  shadows, 
the  unchanged  iodide  and  other  salts  of  silver, 
which,  upon  exposure  to  light,  would  be  de- 


100 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


composed  by  its  action,  and  the  picture  would  be 
thus  lost  or  rendered  useless.  It  is,  therefore, 
necessary  to  remove  this  salt  by  applying  some 
chemical  agent  capable  of  dissolving  it. 

Cyanide  of  potassium  is  a  compound  of  cyano¬ 
gen  gas  with  the  metal  potassium.  Cyanogen  is 
not  an  elementary  body,  like  chlorin  or  iodine, 
but  consists  of  carbon  and  nitrogen  united  in  a 
peculiar  manner.  Although  a  compound  sub¬ 
stance,  it  reacts  in  the  manner  of  an  element, 
and  is,  therefore,  an  exception  to  the  ordinary 
laws  of  chemistry. 

The  cyanide  of  potassium  is  the  salt  most 
frequently  employed  in  fixing.  It  occurs  in 
commerce  in  the  form  of  fused  lumps  of  con¬ 
siderable  size;  in  this  state,  it  is  usually  con¬ 
taminated  with  a  large  percentage  of  carbonate 
of  potash,  amounting  in  some  cases  to  more  than 
half  its  weight.  By  boiling  in  proof  spirit,  the 
cyanide  may  be  extracted  and  crystallized,  but 
this  operation  is  scarcely  required,  as  far  as  its 
use  in  photography  is  concerned. 

Cyanide  of  potassium  absorbs  moisture  on  ex¬ 
posure  to  the  air,  and  is  very  soluble  in  water, 
but  the  solution  decomposes  on  keeping,  changing 
in  color,  and  evolving  the  odor  of  prussic  acid , 
which  is  a  cyan'de  of  hydrogen.  Cyanide  of 
potassium  is  highly  poisonous,  and  should,  there¬ 
fore,  be  used  with  caution. 

Solution  of  cyanide  of  potassium  is  a  most 
energetic  agent  in  dissolving  the  insoluble  silver 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  101 


salts  ;  far  more  so  in  proportion  to  the  quantity 
used,  than  the  hyposulphate  of  soda.  The  salts 
are  in  all  cases  converted  into  cyanides,  and  exist 
in  the  solution  in  the  form  of  soluble  double 
salts,  which,  unlike  the  double  iodides,  are  not 
affected  by  dilution  with  water.  Cyanide  of  po¬ 
tassium  is  unadapted  for  the  fixing  of  positive 
proofs  upon  chloride-  of  silver,  and  even  when  a 
developer  has  been  used,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
Ferrotype,  unless  the  solution  is  tolerably  dilute, 
it  is  likely  to  attack  the  image  and  destroy  it. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 

Having  made  the  reader  familiar  with  the 
various  instruments  and  apparatus  which  are 
used  in  the  glass  or  operating  room,  and  given 
complete  directions  for  the  preparation  of  the 
various  solutions  used  in  the  dark  chamber,  ex¬ 
plained  their  nature  and  properties,  and  the  pur¬ 
poses  for  which  they  are  used,  it  now  remains  to 
describe  the  various  manipulations  necessary  for 
the  production  of  a  picture  by  the  Collodion  pro¬ 
cess.  In  the  first  place,  we  will  imagine  that  the 
operator,  having  every  thing  in  complete  readi¬ 
ness  for  the  day’s  work,  is  waiting  for  his  first 


102 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


morning  customer.  The  reception-room  has  been 
nicely  swept;  the  various  articles  of  furniture 
have  been  neatly  dusted  and  disposed  around  the 
room  with  an  eye  to  effect.  The  pictures  on  the 
walls  are  free  from  dust,  the  glass  cleaned,  and 
every  object  in  the  room  showing  care  and  atten¬ 
tion.  A  lady  enters.  She  looks  around  the 
walls,  sees  that  neatness  and  order  are  apparent 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  furniture  and  in  the 
care  of  the  room.  She  at  once  feels  that  she  has 
come  to  the  right  place ;  that  the  taste  and  skill 
exhibited  in  the  placing  of  a  chair,  or  in  the 
arrangement  of  a  table  or  a  show-case,  in  the  re¬ 
ception  room,  will  not  be  lacking  in  the  more 
important  requirements  of  the  pose,  choice  of 
view,  illumination,  or  lighting  of  the  subject,  or 
in  any  of  the  various  operations  of  the  glass-room 
in  which  the  possession  of  good  taste  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  art  are  so  very 
necessary,  and  give  to  the  possessor  so  many 
advantages. 

You  immediately  become  aware,  on  entering 
into  conversation  with  the  lady,  that  a  good  im¬ 
pression  has  been  made,  and  that  she  has  had  a 
feeling  of  confidence  inspired  within  her  by  the 
appearance  of  the  surroundings.  She  is  unre¬ 
served,  makes  her  wishes  known  in  a  frank  and 
liberal  manner,  and,  being  met  with  courtesy  and 
attention,  she  gives  her  order.  She  intended  to 
have  one  card  Ferrotype  made  to  send  to  a  friend, 
but  she  likes  the  attention  bestowed  upon  her  and 


THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 


103 


the  samples  of  work  shown  her,  and  decides  to 
take  half  a  dozen  instead  of  one.  If  you  do  a 
large  business,  you  immediately  fill  out  a  blank 
with  her  order,  and  the  amount  it  will  come  to, 
doing  it  plainly,  and  passing  it  to  her  in  such  a 
manner  that  she  may  take  notice  of  the  order 
and  the  price,  requesting  her,  at  the  same  time, 
to  give  it  to  the  operator  or  artist  in  the  glass- 
room  when  he  is  about  to  make  her  picture. 
This  is  for  the  purpose,  in  the  first  place,  of  sys¬ 
tematizing  business.  All  orders  should  be  given 
at  the  desk  or  appropriate  place  in  the  reception- 
room.  The  orders  should  be  written  on  checks 
or  tickets,  with  the  amount  in  money  plainly  ex¬ 
hibited  in  figures,  so  that  there  may  be  no  mis¬ 
understanding  in  regard  to  the  price,  and  it  will 
also  be  a  hint  to  pay  in  advance,  which,  in  my 
opinion,  ought  never  to  be  insisted  upon,  how¬ 
ever  desirable  it  is ;  the  hint,  in  a  majority  of 
cases,  is  sufficient,  the  money  is  paid,  when  the 
ticket  is  marked  “  paid,”  and,  being  numbered, 
secures  the  lady  a  sitting  in  her  turn.  You 
politely  request  the  lady  to  prepare  for  her  sitting, 
showing  her  to  the  dressing-room,  making  what 
explanations  may  be  necessary  for  her  guidance. 

We  now  pass  to  the  dark-room,  where  we 
find  the  next  part  of  the  process  is  carried  on, 
that  of  coating  the  plates  with  collodion,  and 
then  immersing  them  in  a  silver  bath.  We  select 
a  plate  of  the  desired  size,  see  that  the  surface  is 
flat,  brush  it  carefully  with  a  wide,  soft  brush, 


104 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


to  free  it  from  mist  which  may  have  settled  on  the 
surface,  and  holding  it  firmly  between  the  thumb 
and  fore-finger  of  the  left  hand,  the  remaining 
finger  acting  as  a  brace  to  support  and  steady 
the  plate,  we  pour  from  the  bottle,  held  in  the 
right  hand,  a  portion  of  collodion  upon  the  end 
or  part  of  the  plate  farthest  from  the  fingers, 
allowing  it  to  flow  gently  over  the  plate  and 
toward  the  left  lower  corner,  and  thence  to  the 
right-hand  lower  corner,  where  we  allow  the  col¬ 
lodion  to  flow  off  the  plate  into  the  bottle  held 
in  the  right  hand.  As  soon  as  the  collodion  has 
commenced  to  flow  from  the  plate,  it  should  be 
turned  first  to  the  side  and  then  to  the  end,  or 
vice  versa ,  so  that  the  collodion  film  may  be  even 
and  smooth ;  for  if  it  is  allowed  to  flow  off  the 
plate  steadily  in  one  direction,  there  would  appear 
a  series  of  lines  or  ridges  in  the  direction  of  the 
flow,  but  by  tilting  the  plate  the  direction  of  this 
flow  is  changed,  and  these  lines  are  destroyed. 
This  is  of  much  importance,  an  even  and  homo¬ 
geneous  film  being  necessary  to  the  production  of 
a  good  picture.  After  the  collodion  has  ceased 
to  flow  from  the  plate  into  the  bottle,  the  latter 
should  be  set  on  the  shelf  or  stand  and  covered, 
after  which  the  plate  is  changed  from  the  left  to 
the  right  hand,  all  this  time  being  kept  in  motion, 
until  the  film  has  set ;  that  is,  become  hard  enough 
to  break  when  touched  by  the  point  of  the  finger, 
on  the  corner  from  which  the  surplus  collodion 
was  allowed  to  run.  As  soon  as  it  has  become 


THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 


105 


firm  and  dry  enough  (by  the  evaporation  of  ether 
from  the  surface,)  to  bear  the  touch  of  the  finger, 
without  flowing  over  the  place  touched,  it  is 
ready  to  be  immersed  in  the  silver  bath,  where 
it  is  allowed  to  remain  about  two  minutes,  or 
until  the  surface  has  become  coated  with  iodide 
of  silver.  When  it  is  withdrawn  it  presents  a 
smooth  yellowish  white  appearance.  Should  there 
appear  on  the  surface  oily  lines  in  the  direction 
of  the  dip,  the  surface  is  not  sufficiently  coated 
and  should  again  be  placed  in  the  bath ;  and  if 
necessary  to  hasten  the  action  of  the  bath,  the 
plate  may  be  moved  about  a  few  seconds,  when  it 
will  be  found  to  have  become  smoothly  and  evenly 
coated.  It  may  now  be  taken  from  the  dipper 
and  placed  in  the  plate-holder  or  shield,  after 
it  has  been  held  over  the  bath  long  enough  to 
allow  the  surplus  solution  to  run  off.  The  plate- 
holder  is  now  to  be  taken  to  the  camera  stand 
and  placed  in  its  appropriate  rest,  until  the  pose 
of  the  sitter  can  be  made  and  the  proper  illumina¬ 
tion  secured.  For  directions  as  to  the  illumina¬ 
tion  position,  etc.,  etc.,  I  would  direct  the  reader 
to  the  chapter  under  that  head  on  page  171. 

It  is  proper,  prior  to  seating  the  subject,  to 
ask  if  there  is  any  favorite  position  or  style  which 
would  be  preferred.  If  not,  it  devolves  on  the 
artist  to  decide  as  to  the  proper  size  of  the  head, 
the  portion  of  the  figure  to  be  taken,  the  best 
view  of  the  face,  the  best  illumination  to  bring 
out  good  points  and  to  hide  defects,  and  to  devise 


106 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


means  to  secure  good  expressions,  all  of  which 
having  been  done,  the  camera  is  placed  in  proper 
condition,  and  the  ground  glass  in  the  rear  ad¬ 
justed.  The  correct  focus  is  next  to  be  secured. 
To  this  end  a  cloth,  which  is  kept  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  is  thrown  over  the  camera  and  the  head, 
shutting  out  all  the  light  from  the  object-glass, 
enabling  us  to  see  the  image  of  the  sitter,  in 
an  inverted  position,  on  the  glass.  The  focus  is 
adjusted  by  moving  the  lens  with  the  right  hand 
from  or  toward  the  object-glass,  until  the  correct 
focus  is  found,  which  is  the  place  of  most  perfect 
definition. 

Plenty  of  time  should  be  devoted  to  the  ad¬ 
justment  of  the  focus.  The  operator  should 
always  make  a  perfect  certainty  of  securing  a  good 
focus.  If  it  is  found  that  parts  of  the  figure 
project  too  far  forward,  or  otherwise,  to  include 
them  in  the  range  of  the  instrument,  the  position 
should  be  changed  so  as  to  bring  all  parts  of  the 
figure  into  such  a  position  (consistent  with  ease 
and  grace)  as  to  secure  a  distinct  image,  every 
part  of  which  shall  be  equally  sharp  in  definition 
on  the  ground  glass.  The  plate-holder  may  now 
be  pushed  into  position,  or,  as  in  some  boxes,  the 
ground  glass  may  be  removed  and  the  plate- 
holder  placed  in  the  position  it  had  occupied, 
the  lens  being  first  covered  with  a  cap  provided 
with  each  lens  for  that  purpose,  or  by  the  cloth 
used  in  focusing.  After  the  plate-holder  is  in 
position,  the  sitter  is  directed  to  look  toward 


THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 


107 


some  object.  Some  remarks  may  be  made  about 
expression,  or  any  little  alteration  of  position  or 
of  the  arrangement  of  the  drapery,  before  the  im¬ 
pression  is  secured.  It  is  well,  just  previous  to 
the  removal  of  the  cover  from  the  lens,  to  review 
the  sitter,  taking  note  of  the  way  the  light  falls, 
and  the  effect  on  the  drapery  and  face,  and  to 
make  at  this  time,  in  as  rapid  a  manner  as  pos¬ 
sible,  any  changes  which  may  suggest  themselves 
to  the  mind.  Every  thing  being  ready,  the  slide 
of  the  plate-holder  is  drawn  out,  the  hand  is 
placed  on  the  cap  or  cover  of  the  lens,  and  with 
a  cautionary  word  always  spoken,  so  as  to  make 
a  pleasant  expression  or  to  pleasingly  affect  the 
sitter,  the  cover  is  removed  and  the  exposure 
of  the  plate  commenced,  to  continue  as  long  as  it 
may  be  considered  necessary.  And  in  this  part 
of  the  manipulations  the  mind  should  be  accus¬ 
tomed,  by  a  system  of  careful  observations,  to 
judge  correctly,  from  the  illumination  of  the 
image  on  the  object-glass,  as  to  the  time  necessary 
for  the  action  of  the  light  on  the  sensitive  plate. 
Great  proficiency  may  be  attained  in  this  impor¬ 
tant  part  of  the  business  by  careful  attention  and 
observation.  The  time  necessary  for  the  ex¬ 
posure  of  the  plate  having  elapsed,  the  cover  is 
replaced  on  the  lens  and  the  slide  of  the  plate- 
holder  returned  to  its  proper  position,  and  the 
holder  removed  and  taken  to  the  dark-room, 
placed  on  its  stand  or  rest,  the  door  at  the  back 
opened,  and  the  plate  taken  out  on  the  left  hand 


108 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


by  turning  the  holder  with  the  right  hand,  so 
that  it  will  fall  out.  If  it  is  a  large  plate,  the 
glass  (which  was  at  the  back  of  it  in  the  holder) 
is  now  taken  in  the  left  hand,  the  plate  resting 
on  it.  The  operator  turns  to  the  developing  stand, 
and  taking  the  bottle  containing  the  developing 
solution  in  the  right  hand,  a  portion  of  its  con¬ 
tents  is  poured  over  the  surface  of  the  plate ;  or, 
rather,  as  this  is  a  very  nice  operation,  the  solu¬ 
tion  is  poured  on  the  extreme  corner  nearest  the 
right  hand,  or  on  the  end  or  side  of  the  plate  next 
the  right  hand,  and  by  a  quick  but  steady  motion 
of  the  left  hand  the  solution  is  caused  to  flow  over 
the  whole  surface  of  the  plate  without  stopping, 
allowing  none,  or  as  little  as  possible,  to  run  off 
the  opposite  edge  of  the  plate.  This  operation  is 
a  difficult  one  at  first,  but  by  careful  practice  the 
necessary  skill  is  easily  acquired.  The  plate, 
while  the  developing  operation  is  going  on, 
should  be  kept  in  motion,  to  cause  the  solution 
to  flow  backward  and  forward  over  the  surface; 
or  when  the  solution  flows  reluctantly,  the  plate 
may  be  taken  between  both  hands  and  violently 
agitated  in  a  horizontal  direction,  care  being 
taken  to  retain  all  the  solution  on  its  surface 
until  the  image  is  brought  out  distinctly,  and  all 
the  folds  of  the  drapery  begin  to  show.  Careful 
attention  must  be  given  to  the  general  appearance 
of  the  image  at  this  stage,  and  particularly  to  the 
high  lights,  contrasting  them  with  the  shadows 
of  the  hair,  the  projections  of  the  face,  and  the 


THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 


109 


drapery.  A  little  practice  gives  one  the  ability 
to  decide  when  the  development  has  proceeded 
far  enough.  Just  before  this  point  has  been  ar¬ 
rived  at,  the  surplus  developer  which  remains 
upon  plate  is  allowed  to  drain  into  the  funnel  over 
which  the  operation  has  been  performed,  for  a 
second  or  two  after  which  the  image  must  be 
watched,  as  the  development  still  goes  on ;  and 
when  sufficiently  advanced,  the  plate  is  held  un¬ 
der  the  water  until  all  trace  of  the  developing 
solution  has  been  washed  away,  which  may  be 
known  by  the  plate  assuming  a  smooth,  glossy 
appearance,  but  while  any  trace  of  the  developer 
remains  on  the  surface,  it  will  have  a  streaked  or 
mottled  appearance,  as  if  oil  had  been  poured 
on — some  such  appearance  as  it  presents  when 
too  soon  withdrawn  from  the  nitrate  bath. 

During  the  development  of  the  plate,  if  one 
part  comes  up  quicker,  or  if  there  is  more  than 
one  picture,  and  the  time  of  exposure  has  been 
difficult  and  one  picture  develops  quicker  than 
the  other,  the  action  of  the  developer  may  be 
checked  on  that  one  by  holding  it  under  running 
water,  allowing  the  water  to  touch  only  the  par¬ 
ticular  part  where  the  effect  is  to  be  produced.  By 
holding  that  portion  of  the  plate  lower  than  the 
other,  the  development  may  still  go  on,  on  the 
remaining  portion  of  the  plate,  and  the  pictures 
may  thus  be  made  alike  in  tone  and  brilliancy. 

The  plate  having  been  developed  and  washed, 
is  now  to  be  fixed  or  cleared,  for  which  purpose 


110 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


it  is  placed  in  a  bath  of  a  solution  of  cyanide  of 
potassium.  This  bath,  for  reasons  given  else¬ 
where,  should  be  kept  in  an  upright  bath-dish, 
inclosed  in  a  box  having  a  close  fitting  cover. 
The  solution  should  be  sufficiently  strong  to  dis¬ 
solve  the  remaining  iodide  of  silver  from  the 
surface  of  the  plate  in  from  three  to  five  seconds, 
when  the  plate  should  be  taken  out  and  again 
subjected  to  a  still  more  careful  washing,  in  order 
that  every  trace  of  cyanide  of  potassium  be  re¬ 
moved  from  the  plate.  If  the  picture  had,  by 
over-exposure  in  the  camera  or  over-development, 
been  made  too  light,  it  may  be  improved  by  al¬ 
lowing  it  to  remain  for  a  longer  time  in  the  fix¬ 
ing  solution  ;  or  it  may  be  dipped  in  the  cyanide 
and  held  over  the  flame  of  a  lamp  or  gas-burner, 
that  the  heat  may  accelerate  the  action  of  the 
cyanide  on  the  Collodion  film,  or  on  the  silver  of 
which  the  image  is  composed. 

The  action  of  the  cyanide  is,  first,  to  dissolve 
the  iodide  of  silver,  after  which  it  will  attack  the 
metallic  silver  of  the  image,  and  by  reducing 
the  deposit  of  silver  in  the  high  lights  and  else¬ 
where  on  the  plate,  it  has  the  effect  of  darken¬ 
ing  the  image;  or,  by  thinning  the  deposit  of 
silver,  what  remains  is  less  opaque,  thus  alloAV- 
ing  the  black  surface  of  the  plate  to  show  through 
the  shadows  and  half-tones. 

The  plate  having  been  perfectly  washed,  is  now 
taken  to  the  light  and  submitted  to  the  inspec¬ 
tion  of  the  lady  and  her  friends,  if  she  is  accom- 


THE  COLLODION  PEOCESS. 


Ill 


panied  by  any.  If  it  proves  satisfactory,  it  may 
be  finished  at  once;  or  if  not  quite  pleasing  to 
the  sitter,  it  may  be  placed  in  a  rack  and  an¬ 
other  plate  prepared  and  exposed  in  the  same 
manner  as  before,  introducing  such  changes  as 
the  sitter  may  suggest  as  desirable,  always  taking 
care  to  ascertain  the  exact  nature  of  the  change 
required,  unless  it  is  quite  apparent  to  yourself 
from  the  defects  of  the  picture  already  made.  In 
such  case,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the  operator — 
to  himself  as  well  as  the  lady — to  make  another 
sitting,  suggesting  and  making  such  alterations 
as  may  appear  desirable. 

A  satisfactory  picture  having  been  secured,  it 
should  be  thoroughly  washed,  taken  to  the  dry¬ 
ing  stove,  and  the  water  evaporated  from  its  sur¬ 
face  by  heat.  All  Ferrotypes  are,  or  should  be, 
colored  or  tinted,  which  is  done  by  applying 
finely  pulverized  dry  colors  to  the  pictures  with 
a  soft  camels  hair  pencil  brush.  Ordinarily  only 
the  cheeks  and  lips  are  tinted,  which  takes  but 
a  few  moments  as  the  color  is  applied  quickly, 
the  brush  being  pressed  more  closely  to  the 
parts  where  the  color  is  to  be  strongest.  The 
surplus  color  is  then  brushed  off  with  a  soft 
blender,  which  also  blends  the  color  on  the 
cheeks  from  the  highest  softly  down  to  those 
parts  requiring  none  at  all.  After  the  coloring 
the  pictures  are  varnished,  and  again  subjected 
to  heat,  unless  the  varnish  is  of  a  self-drying 
nature.  Most  Ferrotype  varnishes  require  a 


112 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


gentle  heat  to  produce  the  glossy  finish  so  ne 
cessary  to  the  surface.*  The  varnish  having 
become  perfectly  dry,  the  picture  is  trimmed ; 
that  is,  the  edges  are  cut,  reducing  the  plate  to 
the  proper  size,  and  fitting  it  for  the  envelope 
case,  or  frame  in  which  it  may  be  placed.  This 
operation,  as  well  as  all  others  described,  requires 
to  be  done  neatly.  If  the  picture  is  to  be  put 
in  an  envelope,  the  edges  should  be  cut  perfectly 
straight,  the  corners  neatly  clipped,  and,  as  far 
as  possible,  a  finished  appearance  given  to  the 
work,  remembering  that  “  anything  that  is  worth 
doirvg  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well;”  which  is  a 
good  motto  for  the  Ferrotypist,  who  shouiu 
always  strive  to  improve  the  quality  of  his 
work.  In  many  cases  it  takes  no  more  time  to 
do  a  thing  in  a  first-class  manner  than  to  do  it 
in  a  careless  and  slovenly  way ;  it  may  only 
require  the  thought  and  ambition  to  excel. 
Trifles  make  up  the  sum  of  perfection,  as  was 
justly  remarked  by  the  celebrated  sculptor  who, 


*  There  have  been  a  large  number  of  varnishes  pre¬ 
pared  and  sold  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  sur¬ 
face  of  ferrotypes,  but  none  of  them  have  sustained 
the  reputation  that  is  accorded  to  Anthony’s  Diamond 
Varnish.  It  possesses  high  gloss,  is  almost  entirely 
colorless,  and  does  not  turn  yellow  as  most  others  do. 

Those,  however,  who  prefer  a  spirit  varnish  may  be 
as  well  pleased  with  Anthony’s  Flint-  or  theMountfort 
Varnish,  both  of  which  are  quite  good  for  the  purpose. 


THE  COLLODION  PROCESS. 


113 


having  showed  a  piece  of  work  to  a  friend,  af¬ 
terward  spent  six  months  hard  labor  on  it. 
When  the  friend  came  again  he  admired  the 
wonderful  perfection  of  the  statue,  but  could  not 
imagine  when  or  how  the  artist  had  bestowed  so 
much  labor  on  it  until  it  was  explained. 

The  Ferrotypist  being  compelled,  by  the  na¬ 
ture  of  his  business,  to  work  rapidly  should 
work  deliberately ;  that  is,  with  thought,  putting 
brains  in  his  work.  A  quick  stroke  may  be 
an  efficient  one ;  a  slow  stroke  may  be  very  care¬ 
lessly  and  aimlessly  delivered.  The  difference  is 
that  the  former  is,  as  it  were,  delivered  by  brain 
force,  the  latter  mechanically. 

The  Collodion  process,  to  be  worked  success¬ 
fully,  requires  thought,  care,  and  skill,  and  it 
should  be  the  aim  of  every  intelligent  Ferro¬ 
typist  to  improve  his  work,  not  being  satisfied 
even  with  better  than  he  has  ever  heretofore 
done;  but  let  his  aim  be  onward  and  upward, 
and  his  motto  Excelsior. 


8 


114 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FOG,  AND  OTHER  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE. 

The  practice  of  photography,  in  any  of  its 
branches,  is  beset  by  almost  innumerable  diffi¬ 
culties,  especially  to  the  student.  Many  of  these 
difficulties  are  merely  the  result  of  his  slight  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  the  properties  of  the  substances 
which  he  employs,  and  of  their  combinations. 
His  knowledge  of  those  substances,  however, 
will  rapidly  increase,  and  with  the  increase  of 
knowledge,  the  recurrence  of  fogs  and  other 
technical  errors  and  causes  of  failure  will  be  less 
and  less  frequent,  until,  perhaps,  they  cease  alto¬ 
gether. 

It  is  expected  that  those  who  adopt  the 
methods  and  processes  recommended  in  the  fore¬ 
going  pages,  and  exercise  a  conscientious  care  in 
all  the  various  operations,  as  directed  in  the 
article  on  the  Collodion  process,  will  be  com¬ 
paratively  free  from  failures  of  any  kind,  even 
.from  the  first;  yet  still,  as  these  disturbances 
sometimes  trouble  even  the  most  experienced,  it 
is  hoped  that  the  few  concise  directions  given 
hereafter,  as  to  the  mode  of  procedure  in  such 
cases,  will  enable  the  operator  to  overcome  all 
such  difficulties  and  their  causes.  Careful  and 
observing  operators  very  rarely  “  get  into  a  fog;” 


FOG. 


115 


they  are  of  the  class  of  men,  who,  when  “  tilings 
do  not  work  well,”  begin  to  look  intelligently  for 
the  cause,  and  in  most  instances  do  not  fail  to 
find  it. 

We  have  in  the  Collodion  process  a  very  im¬ 
portant  trio  of  essential  parts — the  nitrate  bath, 
the  Collodion,  and  the  developer;  these  three 
must  strictly  harmonize  to  produce  good  results. 
The  silver  solution  must  be  of  a  suitable  strength 
for  the  Collodion,  as  the  Collodion  must  be  salted 
or  excited  to  accommodate  the  number  of  grains 
of  silver  to  the  fluid  ounce  of  the  silver  solution, 
and  the  developer  must  so  harmonize  with  the 
sensitized  plate,  as  to  flow  evenly  and  smoothly 
over  the  surface;  in  fact,  to  amalgamate  with  the 
surface  during  that  process.  To  do  this,  it  must 
not  have  too  much  alcohol  for  a  new  bath,  or  too 
little  for  an  old  one.  Again,  this  trio  is  so  in¬ 
timately  and  closely  related,  that  a  watchful  care 
must  always  be  kept  to  maintain  the  proper 
balance  of  its  parts.  If  the  proper  strength  of 
the  nitrate  bath  is  45  grains  to  the  fluid  ounce, 
we  should  hardly  expect  good  results  from  a  25 
grain  solution  with  the  same  Collodion.  Care 
must  be  bestowed  in  keeping  the  bath  at  its 
proper  strength  ;  Collodion  which  has  been  kept 
for  a  time  is  likely  to  become  decomposed,  thus 
settling  free  iodine,  giving  it  a  deep  reddish  color; 
accompanying  this,  is  a  loss  of  ether  by  evapo¬ 
ration  ;  these  things  must  be  attended  to  accord¬ 
ing  to  directions  in  article  on  Collodion. 


116 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


We  also  have  been  taught,  or  know  by  ex¬ 
perience,  that  the  developing  solution  should 
have  certain  fixed  proportions  of  iron,  acid,  and 
alcohol,  to  produce  certain  effects.  What  folly  to 
expect  as  good  results  from  greater  or  less  pro¬ 
portions  !  and  thus,  as  I  have  said  before,  a  more 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  properties  of  the 
nitrate  of  silver,  of  the  qualities  of  salted  or 
excited  Collodion,  and  of  the  developing  effects 
of  iron,  will  soon  do  away  with  many  of  the 
difficulties  and  causes  of  failure  under  which  the 
photographer  labored  at  an  earlier  day. 

Theoretically,  we  should  use  for  our  silver  and 
other  solutions  ingredients  which  are  chemically 
pure ;  but,  practically,  this  is  not  the  case,  as  we 
very  rarely  use  water  which  is  chemically  pure — 
even  distilled  water  is  not  so.  Our  nitrate  of 
silver,  in  a  great  many  cases,  is  adultered ;  in 
fact,  a  certain  amount  of  adulteration  is  necessary 
to  produce  the  beautiful  whiteness  and  brilliancy 
of  its  crystals,  before  it  is  considered  fit  for  the 
market.  And  so  with  other  chemicals  and  so¬ 
lutions  used  in  photographic  studios  ;  they  are 
all  more  or  less  impure.  To  this  adulteration  or 
impurity,  then,  as  well  as  to  inharmonious  action 
of  the  various  solutions,  may  be  attributed  many 
of  the  technical  errors  of  our  processes,  and,  in 
fact,  from  these  fruitful  sources  arise  many  of  the 
failures  incidental  to  the  practice  of  the  Collodion 
process. 


FOG. 


117 


What  we  call  "Fog,”  is  a  general  obscuration 
over  the  whole  plate ;  it  may  arise  from  the  silver 
bath,  from  the  Collodion,  or  from  diffused  light 
in  the  camera-box,  the  plate-holder,  or  the  dark¬ 
room. 

A  silver  bath,  newly  prepared,  will  in  many 
cases  produce  pictures  entirely  or  partially  ob¬ 
scured  by  fog,  in  which  case  the  fog  is  occasioned 
by  organic  matter  held  in  suspension  in  the  bath, 
which,  being  deposited  on  the  plate  during  the 
process  of  coating  with  iodide,  on  exposure  turns 
black,  because  it  is  more  sensitive  to  the  light  than 
the  pure  iodide  of  silver.  To  correct  the  tendency 
to  fog  on  the  part  of  a  new  bath,  add  a  few  drops 
of  chemically  pure  nitric  acid,  the  effect  of  which 
will  be  to  change  the  organic  matter  from  a  state 
of  suspension  (which  is  that  of  floating  in  and 
through  the  solution  in  innumerable  fine  atoms) 
to  a  state  of  solution,  which  is  to  be  dissolved  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  nitrate  of  silver  is  dis¬ 
solved  by  water.  With  a  new  bath,  fog  some¬ 
times  proceeds  from  an  insufficient  supply  of 
iodide  of  potassium,  of  which  every  new  bath 
should  have  nearly  if  not  quite  as  much  as  it 
will  take  up.  (See  directions  for  exciting  the 
bath  in  article  on  silver.)  Sometimes  old  Collo¬ 
dion  will  work  well  with  a  new  bath,  when  a 
sample  of  new  will  not  work  at  all. 

When  the  end  or  side  of  a  plate  is  fogged,  it 
probably  comes  from  the  holder;  the  remedy  is 


118 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


to  dry  and  varnish  the  holder  with  naphtha  var¬ 
nish. 

Fogs  from  the  admission  of  light  into  the 
camera  box,  the  holder,  or  the  dark  room,  are 
not  the  same  in  appearance  as  fog  from  the  bath, 
being  of  a  lighter  color,  and  being  apparently  in 
the  substance  of  the  film,  while  that  from  the 
bath  appears  to  lie  upon  the  surface,  and  can 
frequently  be  removed  with  a  piece  of  cotton  or 
a  soft  brush. 

Fogs  are  caused  sometimes  by  the  developer, 
more  often  in  hot  weather  than  otherwise,  and  by 
foreign  substances  getting  into  the  developer. 

To  ascertain  the  cause  of  fog,  first  see  that 
your  camera-box  and  plate-holder  are  tight,  and 
that  the  dark  room  admits  no  light ;  then  change 
your  developer,  cleaning  the  bottle  carefully,  and 
if  the  weather  is  hot,  cool  the  developer ;  next  test 
the  bath,  and  if  neutral,  add  a  drop  or  two  of  acid. 
On  trying  a  plate,  you  will  probably  find  that  the 
fog  has  disappeared. 

Transparent  spots,  or  as  they  appear  on  the 
ferro-plate,  black  spots,  are  produced  by  particles 
of  dust  adhering  to  the  surface  of  the  plate. 
Very  often,  brushing  the  plate  to  remove  dust 
from  the  surface,  produces  an  electrical  condition, 
which  causes  it  to  attract  and  hold  small  particles 
of  varnish,  which  chip  off  the  edges,  and  parti¬ 
cles  of  dust  also  adhere  to  the  lip  of  the  Collo¬ 
dion  bottle,  and  upon  coating  the  plate  they 
become  incorporated  with  the  film,  and  produce 


FOG. 


119 


black  spots  on  the  plate  when  developed.  When 
these  occur,  the  remedy  suggests  itself :  clean  the 
Collodion  bottle,  and  remove  all  the  dust  from 
the  shelves  where  the  plates  stand. 

Comets  are  particles  of  dust  which  fall  upon 
the  surface  of  a  coated  plate,  or  are  received  from 
the  bath,  on  the  plate  being  dipped.  These  spots 
of  dust  or  dirt  adhere  to  the  surface  of  the  Collo¬ 
dion,  and  when  the  developing  solution  is  applied, 
they  form  neuclei  for  heavier  deposits  of  silver, 
little  tails  of  silver  forming  in  the  direction  of 
the  flow.  Remedy :  filter  the  bath,  and  keep 
always  covered,  and  keep  the  dark  room  free 
from  dust. 

The  silver  bath  receives  from  each  plate  that 
is  immersed  a  portion  of  its  iodide.  After  the 
bath  becomes  saturated,  and  can  take  up  no 
more,  this  iodide  forms  itself  into  innumerable 
particles  or  crystals  of  iodo-nitrate  of  silver,  com¬ 
monly  called  “free  iodide.”  This  free  iodide 
deposits  itself  on  the  surface  of  the  plate,  pro¬ 
ducing  (on  the  negative)  what  is  called  “  pin¬ 
holes,”  and  in  the  ferrotype  the  whole  surface  is 
covered  with  tiny  black  spots.  For  remedy, 
see  article  on  silver.  If  not  convenient  to 
change  the  bath  at  once,  reverse  the  dipper  and 
turn  the  Collodion  surface  of  the  plate  down¬ 
ward. 

Perpendicular  streaks  are  caused  most  gener¬ 
ally  by  the  bath  being  either  too  strong  or  too 
weak  for  the  Collodion.  An  old  and  slightly  de- 


120 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


composed  Collodion  causes  streaks.  Streaks  will 
show  themselves  on  plates  which  have  been  dipped 
before  the  Collodion  has  properly  set,  and  also 
on  plates  which  have  not  been  perfectly  coated 
with  iodide  of  silver. 

Horizontal  lines  are  caused  by  the  stoppage  of 
the  motion  of  the  plate  when  first  dipped ;  it  is 
sometimes  advantageous  to  immerse  a  plate  very 
slowly,  but  the  motion  should  not  cease  until  the 
plate  is  submerged,  as  every  stoppage  will  make 
a  fine  line  parallel  with  the  surface  of  the  solu¬ 
tion. 

Crapy  appearance  of  the  film  always  proceeds 
from  a  watery  Collodion — oblique  lines,  in  the 
direction  of  the  return  of  the  surplus  from  the 
plate,  very  frequently  show  themselves  when  such 
a  Collodion  is  used.  Coat  plates  very  quickly 
with  such  a  Collodion,  and  keep  the  plate  in¬ 
cessantly  in  motion  from  the  side  to  the  end. 

White  spots  are  caused  by  excess  of  nitric  acid. 
Sometimes  when  this  acid  is  used  to  remedy  a 
fogging  bath,  too  much  may  have  been  added, 
in  which  case  it  manifests  itself  in  white  spots 
on  the  picture. 

The  developer  should  be  flowed  very  gently 
upon  the  plate,  and  always  on  the  end  wThere  the 
Collodion  film  is  thickest,  (the  corner  from  whence 
the  surplus  is  run  off,)  otherwise  a  bright  spot  or 
space  like  a  fan  in  shape,  will  extend  from  the 
corner  toward  the  center  of  the  plate.  A  plate 
which  has  been  exposed  the  usual  time,  and  the 


FOG. 


121 


image  upon  which  will  not  develop  clearly,  ap¬ 
pearing  to  be  under-exposed,  has  not  received  a 
perfect  coat  of  iodide  of  silver.  When  plates 
are  moved  about  in  the  bath,  to  accelerate  the 
coating,  they  sometimes  present  a  smooth  surface 
before  they  are  perfectly  coated.  Better,  where 
time  will  permit,  to  allow  the  plate  to  rest  in  the 
silver  bath  until  coated. 

If  the  Collodion  film  slips  from  the  plate  after 
development,  the  fault  is  most  likely  with  the  plate. 
A  greasy  or  imperfectly  cleaned  surface  will  some¬ 
times-  not  hold  the  film.  If  the  plates  are  first- 
class,  a  drop  of  water  in  the  Collodion  will  make 
it  hold,  or  it  may  sometimes  be  sufficient  to 
breathe  upon  the  plate  just  before  coating  with 
Collodion. 

When  the  developing  solution  is  too  strong,  too 
warm,  and  sometimes  when  there  is  a  deficiency 
of  acid,  it  will  leave  a  scum,  often  called  a  veil, 
over  the  pictures.  When  the  film  repels  the  de¬ 
veloper,  add  a  little  more  alcohol  to  the  latter. 

Small  white  circles  often  appear  on  plates  which 
have  been  imperfectly  cleaned.  In  fact  imper¬ 
fectly  cleaned  plates  are  a  fruitful  source  of  de¬ 
fects  and  failure.  Oily  spots  or  lines  appear  on 
the  surface  of  a  plate  that  has  been  dipped  and 
immediately  withrawn  before  the  ether  on  the 
surface  of  the  plate  has  had  time  to  be  washed  off. 
These  lines  look  like  a  confusion  of  fine  circles, 
presenting  a  mottled  appearance.  Stains  often 


122 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


appear  on  the  plate  when  the  holder  or  slide  is 
dirty. 

In  view  of  the  many  defects  that  arise  from 
dust  and  dirt  in  the  dark-room,  in  the  plate-holder 
and  in  the  other  vessels  and  receptacles,  it  can 
not  but  strike  the  attention  of  the  reader  that 
the  best  way  is  to  keep  every  thing  perfectly  clean, 
and  the  camera-box  and  plate-holder  in  thorough 
repair  and  good  working  order.  The  number  of 
tf  take  overs  ”  which  are  rendered  necessary  in  a 
good  many  establishments,  every  week,  by  dust 
from  the  dark-room,  stains,  etc.,  from  the  plate- 
holder,  and  by  diffused  light  in  the  camera-box, 
holder  and  dark-room,  costa  great  deal  more  than 
would  suffice  to  keep  these  things  in  first-rate  order 
and  scrupulously  clean. 

Another  source  of  failures  and  annoyance,  is 
finger-marks  on  the  surface  of  the  plate.  If  the 
operator  himself  cuts  the  plates,  these  can  only 
be  entirely  avoided  by  wearing  gloves  while  so 
engaged.  But  when  the  plates  are  purchased  cut 
to  the  regular  sizes,  there  is  no  excuse  for  such 
marks  and  stains,  as  the  plates  should  always  be 
handled  in  the  most  dainty  manner  imaginable,  by 
the  two  edges,  unless  when  u  flowing”  with  Collo¬ 
dion,  or  during  the  process  of  development,  and 
then  the  smallest  portion  of  the  corner,  only  suf¬ 
ficient  to  afford  a  safe  hold,  should  be  taken  be¬ 
tween  the  thumb  and  finger,  as  stains  and  streaks 
very  frequently  result  from  contact  of  the  de¬ 
veloper  with  the  thumb  during  development. 


COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION.  123 


CHAPTER  XI. 

COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION. 

Among  Ferrotypists,  and  I  might  say  among 
Photographers  generally,  there  is  less  known  of, 
and  consequently  less  skill  exhibited,  in  composi¬ 
tion  and  illumination  than  in  almost  any  other 
particular  of  the  art.  More  and  more  is  the  at¬ 
tention  of  photographers  being  drawn  to  this  sub¬ 
ject  ;  and  justly  so,  for  this  has  been  the  neglected 
ground,  while  other,  less  productive  fields,  have 
been  thoroughly  and  almost  exhaustively  culti¬ 
vated. 

We  find  in  photographic  manuals  and  books  of 
reference  long  chapters  treating  of  lenses.,  silver 
baths,  Collodions,  etc.,  etc.,  but  few  give  any  in¬ 
struction  on  the  more  important  subjects  of  this 
article;  and  even  they,  in  such  a  scientifically  ob¬ 
scure  manner  as  to  afford  very  little  information 
or  assistance  to  the  operator  in  posing,  draping, 
and  lighting  a  subject  in  order  to  produce  an  ar¬ 
tistic  effect. 

It  is  certainly  a  good  thing  to  know  how  to 
make  gun-cotton,  to  understand  fully  the  proper¬ 
ties  and  qualities  of  ether, "alcohol  and  the  salts 
used  for  exciting  Collodion ;  how  to  compound  or 


124 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


to  separate  and  to  test  for  purity  the  various 
chemicals  and  solutions  used  in  the  photographic 
atelier.  It  is  necessary  that  we  should  under¬ 
stand  intimately  the  qualities  of  nitrate  of  silver, 
its  changes  under  the  action  of  light,  and  how  to 
facilitate  that  action,  and  render  it  certain  and 
permanent.  These  and  a  great  many  more  of  the 
principles  of  our  art  we  may  be  perfectly  familiar 
with, — thanks  to  the  untiring  diligence  with  which 
researches  on  those  subjects  have  been  conducted 
by  photographic  experimentalists,  and  to  the  gen¬ 
eral  diffusion  of  such  knowledge  in  works  on 
chemistry  and  the  current  photographic  publica¬ 
tions,  but  very  little  is  written  or  said  about  the 
aesthetics  of  photography.  The  one  should  have 
and  has  been  done,  but  the  other  should  not  have 
been  left  undone. 

Photographers  generally  are  a  wide-awake  class, 
and  know  the  importance  and  necessity  of  study, 
and  they  undoubtedly  make  good  use  of  the  ad¬ 
vantages  they  possess  in  acquainting  themselves 
with  the  exigencies  of  the  situation ;  it  is,  there¬ 
fore,  reasonable  to  suppose  that  had  they  pos¬ 
sessed  equal  advantages  for  the  study  of  illumina¬ 
tion  and  the  pose,  the  artistic  helps  to  our  art,  as 
they  have  had  for  that  which  relates  to  the  more 
scientific  portions,  there  would  have  been  a  sooner 
awakening  to  the  fact  that  every  effort  has  been 
put  forth  seemingly  with  a  view  to  make  pho¬ 
tography  equivalent  to* an  exact  science ;  that  is, 
a  photography  of  arbitrary  rules  and  laws,  rather 


COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION.  125 


than  a  photography  of  artistic  taste  and  judgment. 
It  would  appear  that  the  great  object  has  been  to 
make  processes  certain  in  their  results  rather  than 
to  make  the  results  beautiful  or  artistic. 

Photography  has  been  spoken  of  in  terms 
of  contempt,  and  the  dilettantis  of  art  have 
turned  away  with  scorn  from  the  contemplation 
of  meritorious  photographic  productions,  because, 
they  said,  there  was  too  much  of  the  severe  and 
too  close  attention  to  minor  details.  No  attempt 
having  been  made  to  concentrate  the  interest  and 
to  draw  the  eye  to  some  central  point  of  beauty; 
they  profess  to  find  no  gratification  in  the  con¬ 
templation  of  the  “  naked  truth,”  as  the  Sun 
picture  has  been  called  by  one  of  this  fastidious 
class. 

The  time  has  now  arrived  when  the  demand 
for  something  more  than  a  mere  likeness  has 
brought  into  the  field  some  who  have  “  taken  np 
arms  to  conquer;”  and  from  the  wonderful  prog¬ 
ress  already  made,  it  will  not  be  strange  if,  in 
a  short  time  Photograph  and  indeed  Ferrotype 
portraits  and  miniatures  will  be  produced  which 
shall,  in  every  point  of  excellence,  rival  the  best 
productions  of  the  pencil  and  brush.  Indeed,  an 
evident  effort  is  being  put  forth  to  learn  how  to 
veil  the  nakedness,  to  smooth  the  roughness,  and 
to  soften  the  asperities  of  which  we  have  so  long 
been  uncomplaining,  if  not  satisfied  witnesses.  It 
is  beginning  to  dawn  on  the  minds  of  the  average 
photographic  artist  that  the  sun,  all  this  time,  has 


126 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


been  merely  doing  that  which  untaught  minds 
and  hands  had  prepared  for  him  to  do.  He  had 
seized  on,  at  our  bidding,  all  the  prominence  and 
all  that  obtruded  itself  upon  the  first  sight,  and 
had  very  faithfully  portrayed  it  on  our  silver 
mirror.  But  at  last  some  have  awakened  to  the 
fact  that  our  all-able  and  all-willing  artist  is 
quite  as  well  pleased,  and  as  capable,  to  do  the 
bidding  of  a  Solomon  as  he  is  that  of  the  mean¬ 
est  itinerant  picture  maker  in  the  country — quite 
as  willing  to  heighten  artistically  the  beauty  of  a 
Scott-Siddons  as  to  exaggerate  the  ugliness  of  a 
Caliban — to  hide  in  shadows  the  disagreeable,  and 
to  smooth  down  the  projections  and  wrinkles,  as 
he  had  been  to  force  them  with  relentless  exag¬ 
geration  upon  our  attention. 

There  is,  then,  an  awakening  to  the  fact  that 
instead  of  placing  our  patron  bolt  upright  in  a 
seat,  with  his  elbow  on  a  table,  his  arm  forming 
an  angle  of  a  square,  his  face  to  the  front,  show¬ 
ing  one  corner  of  his  mouth  turned  up  and  the 
other  down,  giving  the  appearance  of  a  round 
white  spot,  with  two  holes  for  eves,*  and  a  di¬ 
agonal  or  oblique  slit  across  it  for  a  mouth.  It 
would  answer  the  aims  of  portraiture  as  well  to 
place  him  at  his  ease  on  a  handsome  chair,  re¬ 
clining  slightly  for  greater  comfort,  the  good  side 
of  his  face  turned  to  view,  a  little  light  to  fall  in 

*  See  Mr.  Whipple’s  article  on  “  Educate  the  People,”  in 
the  “  Photographic  World  ”  for  August,  1872. 


COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION.  127 


front  to  soften  the  lines,  a  graded  back- ground  to 
give  atmospheric  effect,  and  the  direct  light  re¬ 
duced  to  give  roundness  and  solidity,  so  that  the 
result  might  have  some  claim  to  be  called  artistic. 

Photography  is  a  truth-teller,  with  or  without 
qualification,  and  it  is  said  that  the  truth  should 
not  always  be  told ;  such  being  the  case,  we 
should  call  our  artistic  qualities  into  play  in 
posing  and  lighting  our  sitter,  and  in  the  ar¬ 
rangement  of  draperies  and  accessories. 

When  our  long,  gaunt,  six-foot  customer  comes 
in,  and  demands  his  picture  taken  standing,  (full 
length  portraits  are  so  popular  with  that  class,) 
we  mildly — or  otherwise — remonstrate.  We  tell 
him  that  our  artistic  taste  will  be  outraged  by 
taking  his  picture  at  his  worst,  instead  of  at  his 
best.  We  also  tell  him,  when  he  expresses  a 
preference  for  a  front  view  of  his  face,  that  any 
other  is  equally  a  likeness;  that  his  is  probably 
seen  as  many  times  in  profile,  or  three-quarters, 
as  in  front,  and  we  try  to  hint  that  the  front 
view  of  his  face  is  not  the  most  prepossessing, 
and  if  he  has  any  pleasing  point  of  view  of  his 
face,  we  would  much  rather  look  at  it  than  that 
his  full  and  unmitigated  ugliness  should  obtrude 
itself  upon  our  vision.  We  strive,  by  the  aid  of 
posing,  drapery,  and  lighting,  to  give  character 
to  the  sitter,  and  individuality  to  our  work. 
In  all  this,  art  comes  to  our  assistance  and 
relief,  and  we  are  successful  as  far  as  we  under¬ 
stand  the  application  of  art  principles.  In  the 


128 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


subsequent  manipulations  we  apply  our  scientific 
knowledge,  and  it  is  in  this  latter,  rather  than  in 
the  former,  that  we  have  made  the  greatest 
progress.  Art,  then,  as  applied  to  photography, 
is  the  effort  to  disguise  the  “  naked  truth,”  and 
to  change  the  dictum  of  the  celebrated  painter 
that  “  photography  was  justice  without  mercy,” 
making  it,  rather,  “  justice  tempered  by  mercy.” 

Photography,  takes  the  human  form,  sitting 
bolt  upright,  without  an  effort  to  soften  or  im¬ 
prove.  Art  comes  in,  and,  behold  !  the  pose  is 
changed  from  rigidity  to  ease;  the  light  is 
tempered  and  made  to  fall  with  softening  effect 
upon  the  features;  draperies  are  employed  to 
give  depth  of  shadow  and  brilliancy  of  effect, 
and  the  resulting  portrait,  instead  of  being 
barely  tolerable — because  of  likeness  to  the 
original — is  praised  and  valued  highly,  and 
secures  for  the  skillful  operator  the  gratitude  as 
well  as  the  patronage  of  all  concerned. 

It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  form  a  system  of  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  guidance  of  the  uniniti¬ 
ated  in  the  application  of  the  principles  of  art  to 
photography ;  a  thing  which  I  am  not  aware  of 
having  been  attempted  yet,  nor  shall  I  attempt  it 
in  this  connection,  but  I  shall  endeavor  to  give 
some  hints  which  the  reader  may  find  of  advan¬ 
tage  or  not,  as  he  may  choose  to  follow  them  up, 
or  apply  them  in  his  daily  practice.  Under  the 
head  of  Composition,  we  would  include  posing, 
draperies,  and  the  arrangement  of  accessories. 


COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION.  129 


When  called  upon  to  pose  the  patrons  of  our  , 
establishment,  we  should  first  inquire  of  each 
individual  their  especial  preference  as  to  position 
and  view.  If  they  have  none,  then  it  becomes 
our  duty  to  suggest;  and  to  do  this  intelligently, 
we  should  first  scan  the  face,  figure,  and  style  of 
dress  of  the  subject,  making  up  our  minds  as 
quickly  as  possible  as  to  which  would  be  best. 
To  do  this,  we  must  consider  with  reference  to  a 
standing  position ;  is  he  or  she  tall  or  short,  or 
of  medium  height,  of  light  or  heavy  frame,  of 
smooth  or  wrinkled  face,  and  with  regard  to 
style  of  dress,  whether  it  is  new  and  handsomely 
fitting  or  otherwise. 

The  greatest  difficulty  will  be  experienced  in 
giving  an  agreeable  and  graceful  effect  to  a 
standing  male  figure.  The  attempt  should  never 
be  made  without  protest,  except  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  which  are,  first,  medium 
height,  good  figure,  well-fitting  clothes;  second, 
suitable  accessories  to  fill  the  pictures;  third, 
ability  on  the  part  of  the  artist  to  so  pose  and 
arrange,  so  as  to  take  away  from  the  sitter  the 
conscious  look  as  of  having  a  picture  taken, 
almost  inseparable  from  the  position. 

With  the  female  standing  figure,  there  is  much 
less  difficulty ;  the  lines  of  the  dress  tend  to 
support  each  other,  and  the  drapery,  gracefully 
flowing,  removes  any  appearance  of  stiffness  in¬ 
cidental  to  the  position.  For  standing  positions 
of  both  males  and  females,  some  suitable  support 
9 


130 


THE  FERROTYPE, 


to  lean  against  or  on,  is  a  wonderful  relief  from 
the  worst  difficulties  of  the  position.  Attention 
must,  however,  be  given  to  the  proper  balance 
of  the  figure ;  the  center  of  gravity  must  be 
maintained  to  the  eye,  or  the  effect  would  be 
distressing. 

Tall  persons  of  either  sex  should  never  be 
photographed  in  standing  positions,  unless  three- 
quarter  or  half-length  views  are  taken.  They  are 
also  very  difficult  subjects  in  sitting  positions, 
when  the  whole  figure  is  taken ;  these  can  be 
more  satisfactorily  treated  in  bust  pictures  or 
half-lengths,  sitting. 

Short,  fleshy  persons  should  have  bust  pictures 
or  vignettes. 

Very  frequently,  however,  the  most  unsuitable 
positions  are  chosen.  In  such  cases,  the  chief 
reliance  (for  producing  a  good  effect),  must  be 
placed  in  position  and  drapery,  with  suitable 
accessories;  no  general  rules  can  be  given 
suitable  to  all  cases,  except  those  of  balance  and 
contrast. 

In  posing  the  figure,  and  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  accessories,  perpendicular  and  horizontal 
parallel  lines  must  be  avoided  as  much  as 
possible;  the  lines  of  the  figure  and  accessories 
should  converge  to  a  point  in  a  pyramidal  form, 
or  in  an  oblique  direction  from  below  upward 
and  outward,  with  lines  of  support,  etc. ;  as,  for 
instance,  a  soldier  might  rest  upon  his  rifle  or 
sword,  a  gentleman  might  balance  himself  with 


COMPOSITION  AND  ILLUMINATION.  131 


his  walking-stick.  So  important  is  the  balance 
of  the  figure,  that  it  must  not  be  neglected  in 
any  style  of  picture,  being  equally  necessary  in 
the  vignette  as  in  the  full  length. 

When  full  length  pictures  are  made,  the 
camera  should  be  elevated  to  about  two-thirds 
the  height  of  the  subject;  the  same  for  half- 
length,  standing.  For  sitting  pictures,  the  lens 
should  be  about  as  high  as  the  chin  of  the 
sitter.  The  arrangement  of  the  drapery  should 
always  be  carefully  studied;  curtains,  table- 
covers,  etc.,  can  be  used  with  very  good  effect  in 
creating  pictorial  effect.  A  piece  of  dark  dra¬ 
pery  can  be  made  a  contrast  to  some  light  por¬ 
tion  of  dress ;  a  handsome  silk  curtain  or  velvet 
table-cover  thrown  over  the  back  of  the  posing- 
chair,  falling  in  graceful  folds  to  the  floor, 
affords  a  fine  relief  to  the  sometimes  stiff  lines 
of  a  lady’s  dress,  or  to  the  perpendicular  lines 
of  the  male  standing  figure;  a  fold  of  drapery 
can  be  used  to  good  effect  to  cover  or  hide  from 
view  the  foot  of  the  head-rest.  For  figures 
leaning  on  the  arm  or  over  the  back  of  the 
posing-chair,  the  effect  is  much  improved  by 
throwing  the  drapery  carelessly  over  the  arm  or 
back,  as  the  case  may  be. 

In  making  positions,  to  have  every  thing  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  portrait  is  the  rule,  and  a  heap¬ 
ing  together  of  the  odds  and  ends  of  the  gallery 
to  make  a  picture,  should  be  avoided  as  a  gross 
violation  of  good  taste,  and  an  imposition  of  the 


132 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


patron  who  wants  a  likeness,  and  not  a  picture 
of  tables,  chairs,  flower-pots,  busts,  etc.,  etc.,  ad 
nauseum. 

When  making  a  position,  the  artist  should  avoid 
touching  the  clothes  or  person  of  the  subject  as 
much  as  possible.  The  Ferrotypist  can  scarcely 
keep  his  hands  and  person  as  neat  and  clean  as 
the  professional  positionist  in  a  first-class  gallery. 
He  should,  therefore,  recollect  that  in  many  in¬ 
stances  his  fingers  leave  a  stain  wherever  they 
touch,  no  matter  how  clean  they  may  look ; 
besides,  the  hands  are  almost  always  wet  or 
damp.  To  take,  then,  the  head  of  a  lady 
between  the  palms  of  the  hands,  as  I  have  seen 
done,  is  an  outrage.  The  best  way  is  to  stand 
some  little  distance  off,  and  scanning  the  po¬ 
sition,  give  the  subject  verbal  directions  for  any 
desired  change  of  position.  In  case  you  can 
not  make  yourself  understood  or  obeyed,  then, 
by  taking  the  head  between  the  tips  of  the 
fingers,  touching  the  hair,  and  avoiding  to  touch 
the  face,  the  head  may  very  gently  be  turned 
as  desired.  In  most  cases,  by  touching  one 
hand  to  the  side  or  back  of  the  head,  will  be 
sufficient  to  apply  what  force  is  necessary  to 
make  the  change.  The  Ferrotypist  should 
learn  to  make  positions  quickly.  The  assistant 
should  have  the  plate  sensitized  while  the 
position  is  being  made. 

A  kind  and  obliging  treatment  of  customers 
is  the  best  way  to  secure  a  good  expression ;  at 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  133 


the  same  time,  that  nothing  of  an  offensive 
nature  should  be  allowed  any-where  in  sight, 
such  as  a  dirty  spittoon,  a  broken  piece  of  fur¬ 
niture,  or  a  dusty  chair.  One  of  the  best  artist 
photographers  in  the  country,  on  taking  posses¬ 
sion  of  an  entirely  new  gallery,  which  was  fitted 
up  in  a  gorgeous  manner,  regardless  of  expense— 
glass-room  carpeted  with  fine  body  Brussels ; 
walls  and  ceiling  frescoed  in  most  beautiful  and 
expensive  manner;  light  of  heavy  plate  glass, 
in  strips  of  ten  feet  long,  by  two  or  more  wide — 
ventured  the  remark  that  he  was  “  going  for 
expression  ”  in  his  new  gallery.  In  this  case 
every  thing  was  so  well  calculated  to  please 
and  delight,  that  the  remark  was  justified. 
Much  may  be  done  by  an  attentive  operator  to 
secure  good  expressions,  even  among  poor  sur¬ 
roundings. 

It  has  been  almost  universally  the  rule,  here¬ 
tofore,  and  is  now  to  a  great  extent,  to  expose 
the  sitter  to  a  flood  of  light  from  above,  from 
the  side,  and  the  front— light  every-where ;  the 
consequence  of  which  has  been,  pictures  with¬ 
out  half  tones,  without  modeling,  and  without 
strength  or  brilliancy;  the  lights  were  all  high 
lights,  the  shadows  all  opaque.  The  principal 
cause  of  this  tendency,  has  been  the  desire  to 
secure  rapidity  of  action,  making  short  the  ex¬ 
posure  of  the  sensitized  plate,  and  proceeds  from 
an  error  in  the  expectation.  Let  the  light  be  re¬ 
duced;  let  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  light  be 


134 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


shaded,  and  the  remainder  illuminate  the  sitter 
more  directly,  and  it  will  be  found  quite  suffi¬ 
cient  to  produce  properly  effective  high  lights. 
In  reducing  or  shading  the  greater  portion  of  the 
light,  it  is  not  expected  that  the  light  will  be  cut 
off  entirely,  but  that  shades  of  a  semi-transparent 
character  shall  be  used  to  diminish  the  amount 
and  intensity,  and  by  diminishing  to  change  its 
character  from  direct  to  diffused.  Thus,  an  illu¬ 
mination  of  a  sitter  by  diffused  light  lends  a 
softness  and  roundness  to  the  figure  that  contrasts 
beautifully  with  the  effect  of  the  few  direct  rays 
in  producing  brilliancy  of  the  high  lights,  and 
transparency  of  the  shadows,  and  what  we  lose  in 
time  of  exposure,  we  more  than  gain  in  artistic 
excellence.  A  properly  constructed  photographic 
light  should  be  of  northern  exposure,  top  and 
side  lights  combined,  the  side  light  reaching  from 
the  floor  to  the  lower  end  of  the  top  light,  which 
should  be  at  least  ten  feet  from  the  floor,  the  top 
sash  having  sufficient  pitch  to  shed  the  rain-water 
freely,  so  as  not  to  leak.  With  such  a  light, 
properly  shaded,  a  great  variety  of  beautiful 
effects  can  be  produced.  To  make  this  more  in¬ 
telligible,  let  us  consider  the  side  and  top  light 
separately  and  combined. 

The  light  from  above,  when  alone  used,  gives 
a  flat,  but  soft  and  smooth  picture,  with  heavy 
shadows  under  projecting  parts ;  it  is  a  great 
eradicator  of  wrinkles  and  freckles,  and  is  as 
effectual  in  removing  tan  and  sunburn  from  the 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  135 


complexion  of  the  picture,  as  the  sun  is  in  pro¬ 
ducing  it  in  the  original.  The  top  light  also 
gives  very  good  definition  in  the  drapery,  and 
where  circumstances  deprive  of  the  advantages 
of  a  side  light  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
it,  very  good  and  satisfactory  work  can  be  pro¬ 
duced  by  the  aid  of  reflectors,  etc. 

The  side  light,  when  used  alone,  is  a  dreadful 
destroyer  of  complexions.  If  a  freckle  has  hid¬ 
den  so  far  under  the  skin  as  not  to  be  visible  or 
scarcely  so,  to  the  naked  eye,  the  side  light  drags 
the  hidden  thing  to  light,  and  exposes  it  in  much 
exaggerated  ugliness  to  the  horrified  gaze.  In  like 
manner,  it  by  giving  a  brighter  high  light  in¬ 
creases  the  density  of  the  shadows  by  contrast. 
While  the  top  light  gives  a  flat  smooth  picture, 
the  side  light  lends  strength,  coarseness  and 
rotundity ;  while  the  top  light  smooths  over  the 
imperfections  of  complexion,  the  side  light  mag¬ 
nifies  and  increases  them ;  and,  finally,  while  the 
top  light  gives  good  definition  of  drapery,  the 
side  light  makes  dark  drapery  a  black  mass,  black 
hair  blacker  still,  and  is  altogether  a  difficult  light 
to  manage  alone,  (that  is,  without  a  top  light,) 
even  with  the  best  appliances;  but  with  the  top 
and  side  light  together,  and  with  a  northern  ex¬ 
posure,  we  have  the  Ufpar  excellence ”  of  lights. 
The  top  light  serves  to  neutralize  the  bad  quali¬ 
ties  of  the  side  light,  and  vice  versa. 

Thus,  our  customer  has  a  smooth  face,  small 
features,  and  a  black  coat.  Taken  under  the  top 


136 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


light,  we  get  a  face  without  character,  hair  all 
white  on  the  top,  and  a  coat  that  would  appear  to 
have  been  very  glossy  at  least.  We  will  remove 
the  subject  to  the  combined  top  and  side  lights, 
and  we  have  a  decided  change.  By  shading  the 
top  light,  so  as  to  illuminate  mostly  from  the 
side,  we  give  character  to  a  rather  insipid  face, 
at  the  same  time  that  we  have  sufficient  light 
from  above  to  soften  and  relieve  the  shadows. 
The  hair,  too,  which  before  was  all  too  white 
on  the  upper  portion  of  the  head,  we  can  now 
view  of  the  exact  shade  we  desire ;  and  the  coat 
that  was  all  gray,  we  now  have  as  black  as  can 
be  desired,  consistent  with  good  definition.  Thus 
we  see,  that  when  we  want  greater  strength 
and  contrast,  we  have  only  to  use  more  light 
from  the  side  than  from  the  top ;  and  when  we 
want  to  take  the  picture  of  a  blonde  with  golden 
hair,  we  sit  her  well  out  under  the  top  light  and 
shade  the  side  quite  close.  Thus  we  correct  the 
faults  of  one  light  by  the  good  qualities  of  the 
other. 

It  will  be  very  apparent,  that  a  knowledge  of 
the  properties  of  the  top  and  side  lights  sepa¬ 
rately,  will  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  Ferro- 
typist  in  properly  handling  them  when  combined. 
For  such  information  see  the  article  on  u  Glass- 
room.”  In  this- connection  the  principal  object 
is  to  show  what  can  be  done  by  the  use  of  these 
two  lights  to  overcome  the  defects  of  nature,  and 
to  give  character  to  our  work. 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  137 


As  an  instance  of  what  may  be  done,  let  ns 
take,  for  example,  a  lady  or  gentleman  whose 
face  is  freckled.  These  freckles  are  very  un¬ 
sightly  in  the  Ferrotype,  and  we  can  not  remove 
them  by  any  operation  outside  of  the  process  by 
which  they  are  made,  as  the  photographer  does 
when  he  “  retouches n  his  negative,  a  process  by 
which  alabaster  complexions  can  and  pretty  gen¬ 
erally  are  given  to  all  indiscriminately.  They 
may  well  exclaim,  Great  is  the  negative,  but  the 
pencil  is  its  profit ! 

The  Ferrotypist  must  11  come  the  artful  ”  over 
such  cases ;  and  although  he  may  not  remove  or 
hide  them  altogether,  he  can  do  wonders  with  no 
other  agency  than  light.  For  that  purpose  we 
will  shade  all  of  the  side  light,  if  the  day  is  clear, 
allowing  just  enough  to  relieve  the  shadows  un¬ 
der  the  nose  and  chin.  We  will  shade  half  of 
the  top  light,  thus  securing  a  larger  portion  of 
diffused  light  to  help  to  relieve  the  shadows  and 
to  soften  the  whole.  The  direct  light  comes  from 
above,  producing  a  high  light  on  the  top  of  the 
forehead  and  on  the  nose,  and  passing  smoothly 
over  the  face,  lights  up  all  parts  with  an  even 
illumination,  the  result  of  which  in  the  picture 
will  be  to  greatly  improve  the  complexion  and 
please  the  patron. 

The  next  person  who  requires  our  service  is 
an  old  gentleman  whose  face  is  much  wrinkled. 
That  his  portrait  must  please  him  it  must  not 
exaggerate  these  lines  of  age,  but  rather  smooth 


138 


TIIE  FERROTYPE. 


them  out  if  we  may.  How  shall  we  proceed? 
If  we  illuminate  him  by  side  light  alone,  we  shall 
make  every  perpendicular  line  a  furrow,  if  by 
top  light,  we  shall  produce  the  same  effect  with 
the  horizontal  lines.  AV^e  should,  indeed,  give  him 
“  the  furrowed  brow,  the  wrinkled  front  of  age,” 
with  a  vengeance.  Rather  let  us  move  the  back¬ 
ground  and  seat  the  gentleman  facing  the  light, 
directly  or  nearly  so;  the  light  will  now  tend  to 
render  less  prominent  the  signs  of  age,  by  light¬ 
ing  equally  the  depressions  and  the  projections. 
Some  skill  will  be  required  to  relieve  the  eye, 
but  a  little  thought  will  not  fail  to  suggest 
the  proper  means. 

As  a  general  rule,  it  is  proper  to  take  front 
views  of  all  persons  who  are  “  hollow-cheeked,” 
or  have  long  faces,  and  three-quarter  views  or 
profiles  for  those  who  have  round  full  moon 
faces,  or  who  are  very  fleshy.  There  are  many 
exceptions  to  such  a  rule  as  the  above,  as  for  ex¬ 
ample,  a  long  faced  person  whose  cheeks  are  not 
sunken,  a  three-quarter  view  may  give  a  very 
handsome  oval,  and  frequently  round  faced  fleshy 
persons  will  not  bear  a  three-quarter  or  profile 
view. 

By  a  course  of  studying  the  faces  that  come 
before  the  operator,  he  will  acquire  the  ability 
to  decide  almost  immediately,  on  viewing  the 
subject,  as  to  the  best  and  most  favorable  pose  of 
the  figure,  and  view  of  the  face.  This  is  the 
only  means  whereby  such  a  knowledge  can  be 


DEVELOPER  AND  DEVELOPMENT.  139 


acquired,  as  there  is  no  possibility  of  forming  a 
system  of  posing  suited  to  all  figures  and  faces. 
Common  sense  will  suggest  to  the  operator  to 
make  the  most  of  the  good  points,  and  to  hide 
or  subdue,  as  much  as  possible,  the  bad  ones. 
If  the  subject  has  a  fine  figure,  place  in  such  a 
position  as  to  show  it  to  advantage. 

In  the  composition  of  a  group  place  those  who 
are  good  looking  in  the  most  conspicuous  position, 
or  where  they  will  be  in  the  line  of  the  focus ; 
the  ill-favored  ones  will  always  be  best  suited  if 
placed  in  less  conspicuous  positions  out  of  the 
line  of  sharpest  focus.  Great  attention  should 
be  given  in  the  formation  of  a  group  to  preserve 
a  just  balance  of  all  the  parts,  both  as  regards 
the  size  and  height,  as  well  as  color  and  dress. 
The  tall  members  of  the  party,  if  they  are  to 
stand,  should  be  placed  in  the  rear  center;  if 
they  are  to  sit,  they  should  be  placed  on  the  ends. 
Those  of  dark  complexion  and  dress  should 
be  placed  nearest  the  light.  I  have  known  a 
finely  posed  group  spoiled  by  a  black  dress  being 
placed  farthest  from  the  light,  so  that  when  all 
the  rest  developed  beautifully,  the  black  dress 
was  a  dense  mass  of  shadow.  In  the  composi¬ 
tion  of  a  picture,  where  there  is  but  one  figure, 
with  certain  accessories  suggestive  of  action, 
either  in-doors  or  without,  attention  must  be 
given  not  to  overload  the  picture  with  a  great 
quantity  of  furniture  of  fanciful  articles,  nor  to 
dispose  those  which  are  used  in  such  a  manner  as 


140 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


to  offend  the  sense  of  the  laws  of  gravity,  the 
artistic,  or  the  beautiful.  If  the  view  is  of  an 
outside  character,  attention  must  be  given  to  those 
parts  requiring  more  prominence  than  others, 
that  they  be  placed  so  as  to  receive  it,  and  that 
the  character  of  the  illumination  shall  not  alto¬ 
gether  belie  the  effect  of  the  picture;  or,  in  other 
words,  that  the  illumination  may  be  from  the 
same  general  direction  for  the  ground  and  sub¬ 
ject,  and  not,  as  were  the  celebrated  or  rather 
notorious  “  spirit  photographs/’  made  at  one 
time  in  New  York,  by  a  man  named  Mumler, 
the  lighting  of  his  sitter  being  in  one  direction, 
and  illumination  of  the  picture  of  the  “spirit” 
(supposed  to  be  of  some  relation,)  from  a  contrary 
direction,  producing  a  very  incongruous  effect 
indeed,  and  giving  rise  to  astonishment  in  the 
mind  that  people  should  be  found  so  grossly 
credulous  as  to  be  imposed  upon  by  such  trickery. 


VIGNETTES,  MEDALLIONS,  ETC. 


141 


CHAPTER  XII. 

VIGNETTES,  MEDALLIONS,  ETC. 

Vignettes  are  a  very  popular  style  of  picture, 
and  every  gallery  should  be  prepared  to  make  them. 
They  were  formerly  made  by  taking  a  piece  of 
glass,  of  the  size  of  the  plate  on  which  the  Vig¬ 
nette  is  to  be  made,  and  holding  it  over  a  candle 
flame,  so  as  to  blacken  an  oval  shaped  Vignette 
in  the  center  of  the  glass.  Having  exposed  the 
plate  in  the  camera,  return  to  the  dark-room, 
take  the  plate  from  the  holder,  place  the  vignette 
glass  over  the  sensitive  surface,  bringing  the 
opaque  part  as  nearly  over  the  head  and  shoulders 
as  possible ;  then  open  the  door  and  expose  for 
a  few  seconds  to  the  light.  Withdraw  and 
develop,  when  the  light  will  be  found  to  have 
whitened  all  that  part  of  the  picture  not  covered 
by  the  opaque  part  of  the  glass,  thus  producing 
a  Vignette  by  a  very  tedious  process  applicable 
only  to  one  at  a  time.  The  next  process  was  a 
patented  one  and  required  to  be  done  in  the 
camera,  by  having  an  extra  slide  of  glass,  with 
an  opaque  center,  to  cover  the  head  and  shoulders 
as  before.  The  exposure  having  been  made,  the 
tube  was  covered  and  the  glass  slide  pushed  in, 
when  the  tube  was  uncovered;  and  after  a  few 


142 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


seconds  the  slide  is  replaced,  the  holder  with¬ 
drawn  to  the  dark  chamber,  and  the  plate  de¬ 
veloped.  This  process  offered  a  little  more  cer¬ 
tainty  than  the  former,  but  was  never  generally 
adopted,  although  applicable  to  the  negative  as 
well  as  to  the  positive  picture. 

The  plan  generally  adopted,  and  that  which  is 
in  use  in  all  the  best  Ferrotype  galleries,  is  to  cut 
an  oval  or  other  suitable  shaped  opening  in  the 
center  of  a  sheet  of  white  card-board,  the  edge 
of  the  opening  to  be  serrated  or  toothed,  so  as  to 
cause  the  ground  to  blend  softly  with  the  por¬ 
tions  of  the  figure  and  drapery.  The  card-board 
is  commonly  placed  on  a  frame  (made  and  sold 
by  stock  dealers  for  that  purpose),  and  being 
placed  between  the  sitter  and  the  camera,  at  a 
sufficient  distance  from  the  camera  to  cause  the 
proper  softening  of  the  outline,  the  exposure 
is  made  as  usual,  and  upon  development  the 
card-board  will  be  found  to  have  blended  beau¬ 
tifully  with  the  white  back-ground,  softening  the 
edges  where  it  covers  the  clothing  and  drapery 
of  the  sitter. 

This  process  has  the  further  recommendation 
that  many  sittings  may  be  made  consecutively, 
and  all  will  be  equally  good  at  the  same  time. 
The  Vignetter  may  be  adjusted  to  produce  the  best 
possible  effects,  as  it  shows  plainly  on  the  object- 
glass  of  the  camera.  When  at  the  proper  dis¬ 
tance  from  the  camera,  and  when  showing  the 
proper  portion  of  the  shoulders,  changes  may 


VIUJSETTES,  MEDALLIONS,  ETC.  143 

be  rapidly  made  to  show  more  or  less  of  the 
figure  by  an  adjustable  stand,  so  that  all  varieties 
can  be  produced  with  the  greatest  facility. 

The  usual  method  of  adjustment  is  to  stand 
with  the  vignette  in  the  hand,  having  placed  it 
at  what  you  consider  the  proper  place,  and  look 
over  the  edge  of  the  opening  into  the  camera  so  as 
not  to  obstruct  the  reflection  of  the  sitter.  One 
will  easily  see  from  that  position  if  the  Vignette 
is  too  high  or  too  low,  or  if  too  much  to 
the  right  or  left ;  by  moving  it  nearer  to  the 
camera  the  opening  is  enlarged,  showing  more 
of  the  figure,  while  by  placing  it  nearer  to  the 
sitter  the  blending  becomes  more  abrupt  and  the 
opening  smaller,  embracing  the  shoulders  closely. 
Vignettes  can  also  be  made  two  or  three  in  a 
group,  by  having  the  opening  sufficiently  large 
or  by  placing  it  nearer  the  camera.  There  are  a 
variety  of  useful  openings,  among  which  are  the 
round,  egg-shape,  and  half  circle.  All  of  these 
are  to  be  used  with  white  grounds.  They  can, 
however,  be  used  with  gray  grounds,  sometimes 
with  very  good  effect. 

To  make  Vignettes  by  this  apparatus,  it  should 
be  the  endeavor  of  the  operator  to  have  the  same 
amount  of  intensity  of  light  on  the  Vignette  as 
on  the  back-ground,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
of  the  same  shade  or  tone  in  the  finished  picture. 
This  is  easily  done  by  turning  the  Vignette  to¬ 
ward  the  light,  either  top  or  side,  although  it  is 
generally  better  to  turn  it  toward  the  top  light. 


144 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


Vignettes  with  gray  and  dark  grounds  may  be 
produced  by  the  same  process,  using  a  dark  back¬ 
ground,  of  course,  instead  of  the  white ;  and  to 
have  the  Vignette  of  the  same  shade  as  the 
ground,  turn  it  from  the  light.  By  looking  in 
the  camera  you  can  easily  see  when  you  have  it 
dark  enough.  Having  arranged  the  Vignette 
to  satisfaction,  proceed  as  before. 

The  best  form  of  stand  for  the  Vignette  was 
invented  by  Mr.  I.  H.  Stoddard,  and  is  manu¬ 
factured  and  sold  by  E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co., 
and  can  be  had  through  any  stock  dealer.  It 
consists  of  a  light  wooden  stand,  with  a  hollow 
upright  piece,  similar  to  the  stand  of  the  head¬ 
rest.  The  frame  upon  which  the  card-board  is 
fastened  is  pivoted  within  another  frame,  which  is 
set  on  a  piston,  moving  in  the  hollow  upright  of 
the  stand,  so  fitted  as  to  remain  in  any  position 
without  dropping.  These  stands  are  not  patented  ; 
or  if  they  are,  the  usual  liberality  of  the  Messrs. 
Anthony  is  shown  by  the  low  price  at  which  they 
are  sold. 

THE  MEDALLION  FERROTYPE. 

The  Medallion  Ferrotype  is  another  instance 
of  the  variety  of  beautiful  effects  possible  to  be 
produced  in  these  pleasing  pictures,  the  fin¬ 
ished  and  handsome  effect  produced  is  very  at¬ 
tractive,  and  recommends  the  picture  at  once 
to  the  attention  of  the  observer.  When  made 
with  care,  the  Medallion  Ferrotype  is  quite 


VIGNETTES,  MEDALLIONS,  ETC.  145 

equal  in  effect  to  the  photograph  of  the  same 
name,  and  can  be  produced  with  much  more 
ease.* 

I  believe  it  has  not  been  more  than  two  years 
since  this  popular  style  was  introduced  in  pho¬ 
tography,  and  at  the  present  day  there  is  not, 
probably,  a  photographer  in  the  country  who  has 
not  felt  the  demand  for  this  pleasing  style  of 
portrait  and  made  an  effort  to  comply  with  it. 
In  fact,  so  great  has  been  the  demand  as  to  create 
a  new  article  of  use,  viz.,  the  “  cut-out, ”  thou¬ 
sands  of  which  are  made  and  sold  every- where, 
and  the  printed  directions  accompanying  them 
have  probably  been  as  eagerly  sought  after  as  any 
thing  else ;  and  as  is  always  the  case,  the  demand 
for  these  simple  disks  of  paper  has  stimulated 
the  ingenuity  of  the  producers  to  the  inevitable 
result:  (the  patented  article,)  so  that  medallion 
disks  of  metal  and  semi-opaque  substances  in  con¬ 
junction,  to  produce  serrated  and  Mosaic  borders, 
which  it  is  supposed  would  be  a  joy  forever  to  a 
Sandwich  Islander,  and  well  calculated  to  drive 
an  aboriginal  South  Australian  into  fits  of  admi¬ 
ration. 

The  Medallion  Ferrotype,  however,  is  quite 
another  thing,  it  is  not  a  patented  article,  neither 
is  the  apparatus  by  which  the  effect  produced, 
and  I  hasten  to  lay  the  whole  process  before  the 


*  See  sample  of  medallion  Ferrotype  accompanying  this 
work. 


10 


146 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


universal  American  public,  before  that  devoutly 
to  be  detested  consummation  takes  place. 

The  apparatus  required,  then,  is  the  small  re¬ 
volving  or  the  conical  back-ground,  but  as  both  of 
those  articles  are  patented  (!),  let  us  have  a  light 
frame  of  pine  wood,  upon  which  we  will  stretch 
a  cloth  ground  not  more  than  four  feet  square ; 
but  I  suppose  that  three  feet  square  might  be 
large  enough.  Now,  if  it  is  desirable  to  produce 
the  effect  of  the  revolving  or  of  the  conical 
grounds,  let  us  shade  one-half  of  the  ground  by 
passing  something  between  it  and  the  side  light, 
so  as  to  make  the  part  of  the  ground  nearest  the 
light  a  shade  darker  than  the  rest.  This  can 
very  easily  be  done  by  placing  a  shade  between 
the  ground  and  the  light,  advancing  it  far  enough 
to  throw  the  shadow  where  it  is  wanted.  We  now 
cause  the  sitter  to  assume  the  desired  position,  ad¬ 
just  the  drapery,  and  arrange  the  light  so  as  to 
produce  the  desired  effect;  having  done  which, 
we  place  in  front  of  the  individual  (whose  por¬ 
trait  we  are  about  to  cause  the  sun  to  take  for 
us)  another  frame,  which  supports  a  large  sheet 
of  white  card- board,  which  is  cut  an  oval 
opening,  sufficiently  large  to  allow  the  head  and 
shoulders  to  be  exposed,  when  the  frame  is  placed 
immediately  over  them,  so  as  to  be  in  the  same 
focus  as  the  face  of  the  person  sitting.  We  have 
now,  to  produce  the  desired  effect,  a  white  border, 
with  a  sharp  cut  edge  around  the  head  and  shoul- 


VIGNETTES,  MEDALLIONS,  ETC. 


147 


ders,  behind  which,  throwing  it  into  relief,  is  the 
darker  ground. 

This  latter  frame  must  be  supported  by  braces, 
at  an  angle  which  will  allow  the  light  from 
above  to  illuminate  the  whole  surface.  By 
means  of  these  braces,  we  can  regulate  the 
amount  of  light  desired  to  produce  the  proper 
effect.  This  apparatus  may  be  made  of  the 
lightest  materials,  and  every  artist  should  be  able 
to  make  the  frames  for  himself.  If  white  card¬ 
board  may  not  be  procurable,  any  other  color  can 
be  pasted  over  with  white  paper,  and,  if  neatly 
done,  will  answer  the  purpose  equally  as  well. 
Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  cutting  the  oval 
opening  to  have  the  edges  clean  cut,  and  the  oval 
not  too  short  or  too  long.  Having  procured  your 
frame,  suspend  the  card-board  or  medallion 
opening,  with  light  cords  running  over  the  top 
of  the  frame,  and  attached  to  weights  sufficient  to 
balance  it,  so  that  in  adjusting  it  over  the  sitter 
it  may  be  raised  or  lowered  at  pleasure,  always 
remaining  where  placed.  When  not  in  use,  the 
whole  may  be  placed  conveniently  aside,  so  as  not 
to  be  in  the  way,  yet  still  ready  to  hand.  The 
ability  to  do  the  largest  amount  of  good  work  in 
the  shortest  time,  so  as  not  to  offend  the  patron 
of  your  gallery  by  any  appearance  of  undue 
haste,  nor,  in  case  you  are  crowded,  to  waste 
valuable  time  by  running  here  and  there  for  that 
which  should  be  at  hand,  is  sedulously  to  be  cul¬ 
tivated. 


148 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


Another  and,  in  many  cases,  very  pleasing 
6tyle  of  medallion,  is  made  by  using  a  white 
ground,  and  having  in  the  back  of  the  camera  a 
suitable  oval  opening,  which  would  give  the  head 
and  shoulders,  relieved  by  a  properly  shaded 
ground,  surrounded  by  a  clean  black  oval. 
Sometimes  very  beautiful  effects  are  produced  by 
this  means.  Ornamental  borders  are  easily  pro¬ 
duced  by  cutting  the  edges  of  the  opening  in  the 
back  of  the  camera,  or  in  perforating  it  with 
fanciful  patterns  sufficiently  large  to  allow  the 
light  to  pass.  To  produce  the  best  effect  in  this 
way,  the  plate  should  lie  as  close  as  possible  to 
the  opening,  in  order  to  get  sharpness  of  outline. 


.  1.4 

THE  HOH  - REVERSED 


FERROTYPE, 


POSITIVE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  IMPRESSION 

ON  ADAMANTEAN  FERRO  PLATES, 

WITH  A  FULL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  APPARATUS  AND 
PROCESS  OF  PRODUCTION,  ACCOMPANIED  BY 

A  $pedirqer|  Picture. 

> 

- BY  — 

E.  M.  ESTABROOKE, 

AUTHOR  OF 

"  The  Ferrotype,  and  How  to  Make  itT 


1882. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1880?  by 
JOHN  DEAN  &  CO., 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


AUTHOR’S  PREFACE. 


Each  copy  of  the  previous  edition  of  this  book  contained 
two  illustrative  examples  of  a  new  style  of  picture 
called  the  “  Non-reversed  Ferrotype,”  which  were  so 
decidedly  superior  to  any  ordinary  Ferrotype  as  at  once  to 
attract  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and  to  cause  many  to 
inquire  why  the  method  of  their  production  was  not 
given. 

The  answer  to  all  such  inquiries,  was  that  the  pictures 
were  made  only  by  the  Author  of  this  book,  and  were  the 
result  of  much  study  and  very  expensive  research  and  ex¬ 
periment,  and  a  description  of  their  production  was  not  par¬ 
ticularly  called  for  by  the  prospectus  or  title  of  the  book. 

The  demand  for  information  as  to  the  method  by  which 
these  pictures  were  produced  very  soon  became  so  great 
that  the  publishers  were  induced  to  make  a  special  arrange¬ 
ment  with  the  writer  to  obtain  the  desired  information,  that 
it  might  be  published  in  this,  the  second  edition,  of  “The 
Ferrotype  and  How  to  Make  It,”  and  which  information, 
including  an  account  of  the  invention  of  the  apparatus, 
a  description  of  the  same,  and  all  the  details  incident  to  the 
successful  production  of  Non-reversed  Ferrotypes,  is  here¬ 
with  given. 

The  accompanying  picture  is  intended  to  be  an  example 
of  what  these  formula  and  manpiulations  will  produce  when 
skillfully  worked — and  they  are  given  as  examples  of  fine 
chemical  effect,  perfect  focus,  and  graceful  positions — con¬ 
sequently  it  is  expected  that  they  will  stimulate  to  renewed 
efforts  every  Ferrotypist  into  whose  hands  this  book  may 
come,  to  equal,  if  not  to  excel  them. 


(151) 


Author’s  Preface. 


152 

To  this  end,  a  careful  study  of  the  book  is  recommended, 
and  also,  as  far  as  possible,  the  adoption  of  the  formula  and 
manipulation,  as  well  as  the  materials  with  which  theso 
pictures  arc  made. 

Messrs.  E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co.  prepare  a  collodion 
which  has  no  equal.  This  may  generally  l>e  procured  through 
any  of  the  local  dealers  in  photographic  materials,  or,  if  not, 
of  the  manufacturers  themselves.  The  plates  used  are  the 
celebrated  Adamantean  Plate,  made  by  John  Dean  &  Co., 
which  I  have  always  found  uniformly  excellent,  and  I  again 
cordially  indorse  the  testimony  of  leading  Feirotypists  to 
their  superior  qualities.  If  these  directions  are  followed,  ] 
am  confident  you  can  scarcely  fail  to  achieve  complete  suc¬ 


cess. 


NON -REVERSED  FERROTYPES. 


153 


NON-REVERSED  FERROTYPES. 


In  the  year  1866,  being  then  in  business  at 
805  Broadway,  N.  Y.,  (in  a  building  which  has 
since  been  removed  to  give  place  to  one  of  the 
lofty  iron  structures  of  the  day,)  I  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  pictures  by  the  positive  Col¬ 
lodion  process,  which  should  not  have  the  defect 
of  all  such  pictures  heretofore  made,  either  by 
the  Daguerreotype  or  by  the  Collodion  proc¬ 
esses,  viz.,  that  of  being  laterally  transposed — 
it  being  an  admitted  fact  that  the  greatest  de¬ 
fect  of  all  positive  pictures  made  directly  in  the 
camera,  consisted  in  this  very  transposition  of 


154 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


the  figure  in  the  same  manner  as  the  reflection 
of  the  form  or  face  in  a  mirror,  which,  as  every 
body  knows,  makes  the  right  side  to  appear  as 
the  left,  and  vice  versa,  giving  the  parting  of  the 
hair  on  the  wrong  side,  etc.,  etc.  In  considering 
as  to  the  best  method  of  overcoming  this  defect, 
it  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  but  one  way  in 
which  it  could  be  done,  viz.,  by  reflection.  A 
suitable  reflector  must  be  placed  in  front  of  the 
lens,  and,  in  practice,  pictures  must  be  made  from 
the  image  of  the  object,  and  not  from  the  object 
itself,  for  this  reason.  As  the  picture  of  the 
sitter,  as  now  taken,  is  transposed  in  the  camera, 
this  transposition  can  only  be  overcome  by  trans¬ 
posing  again  ;  and  as  we  can  not  effect  two  trans¬ 
positions  within  the  camera,  we  must  effect  one 
between  the  sitter  and  the  camera  lens.  Tin’s  can 
only  be  done  by  means  of  a  reflector.  At  this 
time  I  commenced  to  experiment  with  various 
reflectors.  I  remembered  to  have  heard  or  read 
a  description  of  an  apparatus  that  had  been  used 
during  the  earlier  days  of  Daguerreotypes,  by 
which  this  effect  was  produced,  but  with  what 
degree  of  success  I  never  could  learn  ;  but  reason¬ 
ing  from  the  fact  that  I  had  never  seen  one  used, 
and  that  I  had  never  heard  of  such  instruments 
being  offered  for  sale,  I  concluded  that  it  could 
not  have  been  of  a  practical  nature.  However,  I 
began  to  make  inquiries  among  the  stock  dealers 
about  such  an  instrument,  and,  after  considerable 
trouble  and  persistence,  I  did  find  one  which  had 


NON-REVERSED  FERROTYPES. 


155 


been  laid  away  upon  the  shelves  of  the  old  firm 
of  Daguerreotype  stock  dealers — Holmes,  Booth 
&  Haydens.  This  instrument  had  passed  from 
the  memory  of  every  body  in  the  store  but  one, 
and  by  him  it  was  considered  of  so  little  value 
that  he  very  freely  gave  it  to  me  without  com¬ 
pensation.  This  instrument  consisted  of  a  trian¬ 
gular  brass  case,  one  of  the  faces  of  the  right 
angle  of  which  was  uncovered  ;  the  other  had  a 
flange  by  which  it  could  be  screwed  to  the  front 
of  a  camera  lens.  Having  first  removed  the  shade 
and  cover,  in  the  base  of  the  triangle  was  fitted  a 
square  piece  of  plate-glass,  the  under  or  back 
surface  of  which  was  silvered.  In  use,  this  in¬ 
strument  rendered  it  necessary  to  turn  the  side 
of  the  camera  box  to  the  sitter,  thus  bringing 
the  image  of  the  sitter  upon  the  glass  in  the  re¬ 
flector.  I  experimented  with  this  instrument  for 
some  time,  but  could  produce  nothing  which 
would  prove  satisfactory.  I  next  tried  a  large 
cheval  glass,  securing  the  most  perfect  surface 
that  I  could.  Upon  placing  the  glass  in  front  of 
the  sitter,  and  pointing  the  camera  at  the  reflec¬ 
tion,  I  succeeded  better  than  with  the  small  in¬ 
strument  ;  that  is,  I  could  make  the  picture  in 
slightly  less  time.  But  I  was  troubled  in  this  ex¬ 
periment  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  first — by 
double  reflection — my  pictures  would  develop  with 
two  outlines.  It  took  me  some  time  to  get  at  the 
cause  of  this  double  outline,  as  I  could  see  noth¬ 
ing  of  the  kind  in  the  object  glass  of  my  camera. 


156 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


At  last,  placing  my  glass  where  there  happened 
to  be  a  stronger  light  reflected  from  its  surface, 
I  found,  in  a  double  reflection,  the  cause  of  all 
my  troubles.  The  glass  of  the  mirror  and  also 
of  the  small  reflector  being  of  very  thick  plate, 
it  gave  a  reflection  from  both  surfaces — from  the 
front  surface  of  the  glass  and  from  the  silvered 
back  surface.  Of  course,  the  reflection  from  the 
front  or  outer  surface  was  faint,  and  only  per¬ 
ceptible  in  the  double  outlines;  yet,  by  no  means 
at  my  command,  could  I  remove  or  prevent  it : 
in  consequence,  I  was  forced  to  give  up  the  mir¬ 
ror  and  glass  reflector.  My  attention  was  next 
turned  to  a  finely-polished  metallic  reflecting 
surface,  but  with  no  better  success — in  conse¬ 
quence,  I  think,  of  the  difficulty,  if  not  the  im¬ 
possibility,  of  securing  a  perfectly  plain  surface : 
by  which  I  mean  a  surface  so  perfectly  even  and 
level  as  to  reflect  all  rays  of  light  in  a  direction 
exactly  parallel.  It  will  very  easily  be  seen  that 
any  inequality,  however  small,  in  the  reflecting 
surface,  would  destroy  the  image:  and  this  I 
found  impossible  to  overcome :  and  although  I 
had  been  very  sanguine  when  I  first  attempted 
the  metallic  reflector,  I  was  forced  to  give  it  up 
as  unsuitable  or  unfit  for  the  purpose. 

The  image  reflected  by  one  of  these  instruments 
would  often  be  so  blurred  as  to  be  undistinguish- 
able ;  again,  parts  of  the  image  would  be  perfect, 
but  not  all.  This  resulted,  I  found,  from  the 
inequalities  of  the  metallic  surface — such  inequal- 


NON- REVERSED  FERROTYPES. 


157 


ities  being  produced  by  the  tool  used  in  burnish¬ 
ing  the  metal — and  thus  I  was  forced  to  the  con¬ 
clusion,  that  until  a  metallic  surface  could  be 
ground  and  polished  in  a  manner  similar  to  that 
by  which  glass  is  ground  and  polished,  the  me¬ 
tallic  reflector  would  not  answer  the  purpose. 

Pursuing  my  experiments,  I  procured  a  very 
fine  plate  of  Venetian  glass,  and  attempted  to 
have  deposited  thereon  a  coating  of  metallic  sil¬ 
ver,  sufficiently  thick  and  strong  to  receive  a 
high  polish,  without  being  so  thick  as  to  allow 
the  burnishing  tool  to  cause  inequalities  of  the 
surface.  In  this  I  also  failed,  and  for  a  time  I 
gave  up  the  idea.  About  this  time  I  conceived 
the  idea  of  using  a  prism  of  glass,  knowing  that 
it  had  the  power  of  reflection.  Upon  communi¬ 
cating  my  thoughts  to  a  friend  of  mine,  an  opti¬ 
cian,  he  confirmed  my  impression,  and  offered  to 
procure  for  me,  from  Paris,  a  prism  of  colorless 
glass  of  a  suitable  size  for  my  purposes. 

Eagerly  accepting  his  offer,  I  gave  him  the  di¬ 
mensions  of  one  large  enough  for  a  half-plate 
lens.  The  order  was  transmitted,  and  in  due 
time  my  prism  arrived  from  France.  I  had  it 
fitted  in  a  nice  brass  case,  which  was  so  arranged 
as  to  be  screwed  to  the  front  of  the  camera  tube 
in  place  of  the  usual  shade.  The  brass  case  I 
caused  to  be  lined  with  black  velvet.  With  this 
apparatus  I  succeeded  in  producing  Non- reversed 
pictures  entirely  superior  to  any  I  had  heretofore 
made.  One  great  drawback,  however,  was  the 


158 


THE  FERROTYPE, 


length  of  time  required  for  exposure.  I  began  to 
cast  about  for  means  to  shorten  the  time  of  ex¬ 
posure. 

Having  already  the  quickest  working  Collo¬ 
dion,  etc.,  that  I  supposed  it  possible  to  produce,  I 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  I  could  do  nothing 
in  that  direction,  but  must  direct  my  efforts  to 
make  the  prism  more  effective  as  a  reflector.  I 
had,  I  supposed,  been  using  only  its  refractive 
power  as  yet.  Oue  day,  as  an  experiment,  I  re¬ 
moved  the  prism  from  the  case,  and,  taking  out 
the  velvet,  I  inserted  in  its  place  a  piece  of  white 
card-board,  and,  to  my  surprise,  on  again  trying 
the  exposure,  I  found  that  by  this  simple  means 
I  was  enabled  to  reduce  the  time  of  exposure 
about  one-half,  and  got  quite  as  perfect  an  image. 
This  surprised  me,  as  I  knew  that  the  surface  of 
the  card-board  possessed  a  very  low  reflecting 
power,  and  also  that  its  surface  must  be  very  un¬ 
equal,  but  it  seemed  that  the  prism  corrected  any 
defect  arising  from  such  inequalities  of  surface. 

In  this  way  I  was  at  once  put  on  the  right 
track  to  the  long-desired  object. 

Taking  my  prism  to  the  silver  plater,  I  had  a 
coating  of  metallic  silver  deposited  upon  its 
largest  surface,  which  I  caused  to  be  covered 
with  a  strong  varnish  to  protect  it  from  friction, 
etc.  I  again  placed  it  in  its  case,  and,  as  may 
be  imagined,  with  trembling  anxiety  prepared  to 
try  again  its  reflecting  powers. 

Upon  coating  a  plate  and  subjecting  it  to  an 


NON- REVERSED  FERROTYPES. 


159 


exposure  of  ordinary  duration,  I  was  overjoyed 
to  find  my  highest  hopes  realized — I  had  secured 
a  perfect  reflector  by  which  to  produce  Non -re¬ 
versed  positive  pictures  by  the  Collodion  process. 

The  two  cuts  herewith  given  will  convey  a 
perfect  idea  of  one  of  my  methods  of  mounting 
the  prism  for  work. 


Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


Figure  1  shows  the  prism  in  its  brass  case  as 
it  rests  upon  the  camera  box.  This  particular 
reflector  is  of  4  inches  diameter  on  the  two 
faces  of  its  right  angle ;  the  reflecting  surface  or 
back  is  4x5^.  It  is  mounted  in  a  brass  case 
made  to  screw  on  the  front  of  af-tube,  the  open¬ 
ings  being  made  large  enough  to  receive  and 
transmit  all  the  light  the  4  inch  front  will 
admit. 


160 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


Figure  2  shows  the  prism  screwed  to  the  tube 
and  the  cover  resting  on  the  box.  This  view  ex¬ 
plains  the  method  of  using  the  prism.  The  front 
of  the  prism  being  turned  toward  the  sitter,  pre¬ 
sents  the  side  of  the  box,  and  brings  the  ground 
glass  and  plate-holder  at  right  angles  with  the 
sitter.  The  position  is  strange  at  first,  but  one 
easily  becomes  accustomed  to  it. 

Another  method  of  mounting  the  prism  for 
use  with  the  wing  multiplier,  is  to  set  the  tube 
well  back  in  the  box,  and  have  the  prism  perma¬ 
nently  fitted  to  an  extra  front,  which  may  be  slid 
into  the  front  grooves  of  the  box.  By  this 
method  the  lens  is  entirely  hid  from  view,  and 
a  novel  impression  is  conveyed  by  the  appearance 
of  the  apparatus.  This  last  method  is  only  pos¬ 
sible  with  the  wing  camera ;  the  box-like  front 
of  which  affords  au.*,le  space  for  a  tube  as  large 
as  the  box  is  intended  for. 


NON-REVERSED  MEDALLION  FERROTYPE.  161 


THE  N ON-REVERSED  MEDALLION 


FERROTYPE. 

This  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the  various 
styles  of  Ferrotypes ;  it  is  also  the  most  difficult, 
both  because  of  the  care  required  in  the  adjust¬ 
ment  of  the  apparatus  and  illumination  of  the 
subject,  and  also  because  of  the  necessity  that  the 
positions  should  conform  to  and  suit  the  style 
of  the  opening  which  produces  the  Medallion  ef¬ 
fect. 

The  cut  will  explain  the  nature  of  the  appa¬ 
ratus  used,  and  the  manner  of  taking  a  Non-re- 
11 


162 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


versed  Medallion  Ferrotype,  better  than  many 
words. 

The  apparatus  consists  of  a  light  pine  wood 
frame  or  support,  upon  which  is  suspended  a  sheet 
of  white  or  gray  card-board,  through  the  center 
of  which  is  cut  an  oval  opening.  The  back¬ 
ground  should  be  dark,  and,  if  graduated  in 
shade,  the  better.  The  one  seen  in  the  cut  is  a 
Biglow  graded  revolving  ground ;  a  dark-cloth 
ground  will  answer  the  purpose  quite  well. 

The  background  need  not  be  more  than  four 
feet  square,  and  may  be  stretched  on  a  light 
frame.  Through  the  center  of  the  bar,  which 
should  be  across  the  middle  of  the  frame,  a  hole 
may  be  bored,  by  which  it  may  be  suspended  on 
the  back  of  the  head-rest,  upon  the  rear  end  of 
the  rod  which  supports  the  head. 

The  medallion  frame  may  be  of  light  pine 
wood,  2  inches  by  1  inch,  6  feet  high,  and  30 
inches  wide.  The  one  in  the  cut  is  25  inches 
wide ;  it  is  better  to  be  wider. 

The  medallion  matt  may  be  of  white  card¬ 
board,  smooth  or  pebbled.  The  one  in  the  cut  is 
gray,  and  pebbled,  the  better  to  imitate  the 
Photograph.  A  strip  of  white  paper  is  pasted  on 
the  edge  of  the  upper  left  portion  of  the  oval, 
and  a  similar  piece,  but  black,  on  the  correspond¬ 
ing  lower  right. 

The  matt  is  30x40  inches  square,  and  glued 
to  a  light  frame  of  J-inch  pine ;  the  oval  open¬ 
ing  is  16  x  22  inches. 


NON-REVERSED  MEDALLION  FERROTYPE.  163 


This  style  of  picture  is  much  finer  when  made 
with  the  Rembrandt  effect  of  light.  A  very 
beautiful  effect  is  produced  in  this  style  of  pict¬ 
ure,  after  making  the  proper  exposure,  by  cover¬ 
ing  the  tube,  and  pushing  the  plate-holder  about 
J  of  an  inch  farther  in ;  then  remove  the  cover 
of  the  lens  and  replace  it  immediately.  This 
heightens  the  imitation  to  one  of  the  best  and 
softest  of  Medallion  Photographs. 

The  first  cut  explains  the  method  of  focussing 
the  instrument ;  this  one  shows  the  exposure, 
the  position  of  the  camera,  the  background,  re¬ 
flector,  etc.,  etc.  By  it  also  an  idea  may  be  ob¬ 
tained  as  to  the  method  of  illumination  to  pro¬ 
duce  the  Rembrandt  effect. 


164 


CONCLUSION. 


CONCLUSION. 


As  proposed  in  the  Publisher’s  Preface,  such 
improvements  as  have  been  introduced  since 
the  publication  of  preceding  editions  of  The 
Ferrotype,  together  with  a  few  references  to 
matters  alluded  to  in  the  course  of  these  pages 
and  in  former  editions  which,  in  consequence 
of  lapse  of  time  and  subsequent  changes,  are 
inaccurate,  will  here  be  given. 

Most  photographers  must  have  observed  the 
unpleasant  yellowish  .  tint  which  ferrotypes 
show  on  their  surface.  These  pictures  would 
be  much  more  generally  acceptable  if  the 
whites  were  produced  pure.  There  are  various 
modes  of  producing  this  result,  but  they  in¬ 
volve  a  little  extra  trouble  on  the  part  of  the 
operator. 

One  mode  of  avoiding  this  is  by  using  a 
weak  wash  of  tannin  upon  the  plate  before  it  is 
placed  in  the  fixing  bath.  The  solution  of 
tannin  eliminates  all  the  sulphate  of  iron  that 
may  remain  in  the  film  after  development  and 
washing,  and  which,  if  left  there,  forms  a  com¬ 
pound  with  the  cyanide,  which  gives  the  yel¬ 
low  color. 

Another  mode  of  producing  fine  white,  and 


CONCLUSION. 


165 


rich,  velvety  black,  with  freedom  from  fog,  is 
to  proceed  as  follows  :  Make  a  saturated  solu¬ 
tion  of  protosulphate  of  iron,  into  which  drop 
a  solution  of  tannin,  shaking  the  mixture  all 
the  while,  until  the  precipitate  of  tannate  of 
iron  ceases  to  be  redissolved ;  then  add  drop 
by  drop  of  a  weak  solution  of  nitric  acid  until 
the  precipitate  is  dissolved  and  the  iron  solu¬ 
tion  becomes  of  a  clear  bluish  color.  To  one 
ounce  of  this  add  ten  or  eleven  ounces  of  water, 
and  as  much  acetic  acid  as  may  be  found  ne¬ 
cessary.  This  constitutes  the  developer. 

The  patents  of  Wing  and  Southworth,  alluded 
to  in  pages  42  and  43,  have  finally  been  decided 
invalid,  and  there  is  now  no  restriction  in  the 
matter  of  making  or  using  cameras  with  sliding 
shields.  This  result  was  only  reached  after 
years  spent  in  litigation,  and.  the  expenditure 
of  thousands  of  dollars.  In  the  meantime  the 
publishers  have  made  and  improved  these 
boxes,  until  they  now  not  only  excel  in  sim¬ 
plicity,  but  in  finish  and  ornamental  character, 
all  others.  These  cameras  are  specifically 
known  as  the  “Success”  Cameras,  and  the 
large  sale  of  them  attests  the  correctness  of  the 
name.  They  combine  all  the  recent  improve¬ 
ments.  A  photographer  who  possesses  a  Suc¬ 
cess  or  Climax  Camera  Box,  a  Dallmeyer  Por¬ 
trait  Lens,  a  Bowdish  Camera  Stand,  and  a 
Bowdish  Chair,  is  provided  with  the  most 
effective  instruments  now  known  to  the  trade. 


166 


CONCLUSION. 


The  formula  for  making  soluble  cotton,  on 
page  57,  has  never  been  tried  by  the  publish¬ 
ers,  and  they  therefore  do  not  vouch  for  its 
value. 

In  the  present  edition  we  have  omitted  a  few 
lines  which  were  formerly  to  be  found  on  page 
84,  regarding  them  more  or  less  redundant ; 
but  the  experience  of  photographers,  from 
whom  the  proprietor  of  the  patent  endeavored 
to  draw  an  income,  and  the  excitement  caused 
whenever  he  made  his  appearance  at  photo¬ 
graphic  meetings,  would  make  an  amusing  epi¬ 
sode  in  a  photographic  history.  It  is  sufficient, 
however,  to  say,  that  at  the  present  time  Mr. 
Shaw  has  ceased  to  annoy  the  members  of  the 
profession  by  his  demands.  To  any  one  in  the 
slightest  degree  versed  in  elementary  chemis¬ 
try,  it  is  surprising  in  the  extreme  that  a  person 
could  be  so  little  informed  as  to  make  the  ex¬ 
traordinary  claim  that  was  founded  on  this 
patent. 

One  of  the  greatest  improvements,  so  far  as 
the  aesthetic  aspect  of  a  ferrotype  is  concerned, 
has  been  the  introduction  of  the  tinted  ferro¬ 
type  plate.  The  appearance  of  a  picture  on 
one  of  these  plates  is  far  more  agreeable  than 
the  old,  ancient  and  unalterable  black  color, 
and  ferrotypers  are  under  great  obligations  in 
connection  with  them  to  Messrs.  John  Dean  & 
Co.,  who  are  the  sole  manufacturers,  the  product 
being  covered  by  a  patent. 


CONCLUSION. 


167 


Prisms,  referred  to  on  pages  157-160,  are 
now  a  regular  article  of  commerce,  and  made 
to  fit  any  tube.  They  can  be  purchased  through 
any  of  the  dealers,  or  direct  from  the  pub¬ 
lishers. 

As  to  expense,  the  apparatus  and  materials 
required  in  the  making  of  ferrotypes  have  been 
very  considerably  cheapened  since  the  earlier 
days,  and  the  variety  increased,  according  to 
the  scale  on  which  the  business  is  to  be  con¬ 
ducted.  For  instance,  the  cost  of  lenses  usu¬ 
ally  employed  for  the  purpose  is  greatly  re¬ 
duced,  and  in  less  degree  the  cameras  also. 


THE  CLIMAX  CAMERA,  NO.  43,  FITTED  WITH  FOUR  ^  LENSES. 


The  iron  plates,  too,  on  which  the  pictures  are 
made,  are  very  much  lower  than  formerly,  and 
more  attractive  means  have  been  devised  for 


168 


CONCLUSION. 


mounting  and  delivery.  These  particulars, 
however,  may  be  all  gleaned  from  our  illus¬ 
trated  catalogue  of  photographic  materials  and 
of  card  stock  ;  but  for  convenience,  we  subjoin 
illustrations  of  two  of  the  instruments  usually 
selected,  the  first  being  what  is  known  as  our 
Climax  Camera  No.  43,  which  is  of  excellent 
workmanship,  and  exceedingly  popular  on  ac¬ 
count  of  its  comparative  cheapness ;  the  second 


THE  SUCCESS  CAMERA  O,  FITTED  WITH  NINE  ONE-NINTH  AND  FOUR 
ONE-FOURTH  LENSES,  BOTH  OR  EITHER  OF  THE  SETS. 

is  our  Success  Camera,  O,  similar  in  style, 
though  more  elaborately  finished.  Being  manu¬ 
factured  in  mahogany,  or  liard-word  ebonized, 
and  provided  with  nickel  trimmings,  the  latter 
are  decidedly  the  best  and  most  desirable  cam¬ 
eras  of  the  kind  in  the  market.  Negatives  as 
well  as  ferrotypes  can  be  made  with  either  of 
them. 


THE  PUBLISHERS. 


author’s  addenda. 


169 


AUTHOR’S  ADDENDA? 


Each  of  the  former  editions  of  “  The  Ferro¬ 
type,  and  How  to  Make  It,”  were  ornamented 
with  one  or  more  samples  of  ferrotypes,  which 
were  intended  to  convey  to  the  amateur,  or 
prospective  professional,  an  idea  of  the  best  that 
could  be  done  with  the  materials  provided  for 
the  purpose  by  the  most  prominent  stock-house 
and  manufacturers  of  photographic  requisites 
in  the  country. 

When  it  was  decided  to  print  a  third  edition, 
it  was  thought  advisable  to  again  send  out 
with  the  book  a  specimen  of  the  best  work  of 
the  special  branch  of  the  art  to  which  it  was 
devoted,  and  it  was  also  believed  that  such 
improvements  as  have  been  introduced  of  late 
years  might  in  this  manner  be  best  illustrated 
and  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  reader. 

Messrs.  E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co.,  the  present 
owners  of  the  copyright,  being  desirous  that 
the  illustrations  should  be  of  the  best,  very 
kindly  placed  the  resources  of  their  immense 
establishment  at  my  disposal,  to  select  the 
materials  from  which  to  produce  these  pio« 


170 


autiior’s  addenda. 


tures  ;  and  it  is  with  no  littlo  pride  I  am  ablo 
to  state  that,  in  tone,  style,  and  finish,  they 
excel  any  I  have  heretofore  made  for  this 
purpose. 

These  points  of  excellence  are  partly  at¬ 
tributable  to  the  recent  improvements  in  the 
materials,  such  as  collodion,  developer,  silver 
solution,  etc.,  and  to  the  superiority  of  the 
instruments  and  apparatus. 

The  latter  having  been  already  described 
in  a  previous  chapter,  it  is  not  necessary  that 
further  allusion  should  be  made  to  them  ;  suf¬ 
fice  it  to  say,  it  is  generally  conceded  that 
the  Dallmeyer  lenses  and  the  Success  Cameras 
lead  the  world. 

Mention  has. also  been  made  of  the  means 
for  improving  the  tone  of  ferrotypes ;  these 
pictures,  it  is  hoped,  will  demonstrate  what 
can  be  done  in  that  direction  by  the  use  of 
Tannic  Acid  in  the  developer,  and  of  the 
Diamond  Varnish  in  finishing. 

A  very  large  share  of  whatever  excellence  the 
pictures  may  possess  is  attributable  to  the  uni¬ 
form  good  qualities  of  the  Adamantean  Ferro- 
Plates  of  Messrs.  John  Dean  &  Co.,  upon  which 
they  were  made.  I  have  heretofore  compli¬ 
mented  them,  and  I  only  desire  to  say  in  this 
connection  that  these  plates  are  made  by  work¬ 
men  who  know  just  what  is  wanted  by  the 
ferrotypist,  and  who  also  know  how  to  make 
them,  and  they  are  made  accordingly. 


author’s  addenda. 


171 


The  abundance  and  great  delicacy  of  detail 
result  from  E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co’s  new 
and  rapid  collodions,  the  “New  Negative”  and 
“  New  Instantaneous.”  In  connection  with  the 
II.  T.  A.  developer,  these  collodions  yield  the 
most  pleasing  and  satisfactory  results. 

E.  M.  ESTABROOKE. 


ADDENDA. 


ADDENDA. 


To  Remove  Silver  Stains. 


The  following  mixture  will  remove  all  silver  stains.  Mix 
together  and  keep  in  a  bottle: 


Alcohol . 

Iodine . 

Nitric  acid . 

Hydrochloric  acid, 


20  parts. 
..1  part. 


U 


1  “ 


Apply  this  to  the  stain,  and  after  a  few  minutes  apply  either 
a  solution  of  hyposulphite  of  soda  or  of  cyanide  of  potas¬ 
sium — the  latter  to  be  preferred.  A  second  application  is 
sometimes  necessary.  After  the  stain  disappears  wash  well. 


Thermometer  Scales. 


The  zero  of  the  Centigrade  and  of  Reaumur’s  thermome¬ 
ter  each  corresponds  to  32°  Fahrenheit. 

To  convert  degrees  of  Reaumur  into  equivalent  degrees  of 
Fahrenheit,  multiply  the  degrees  of  Reaumur  by  9,  divide 
the  product  by  4,  and  add  32 ;  the  result  will  be  the  degrees 
of  Fahrenheit.  9  Fahrenheit,  5  Centigrade,  and  4  Reaumur 
are  equivalents.  In  Wedgwood’s  Pyrometer  the  zero  com¬ 
mences  at  1.077°  Fahrenheit ;  and  each  degree,  instead  of 
being  equal  to  130°  of  Fahrenheit,  as  was  supposed  by  its 
maker,  is  only  equal  to  about  20°. 

Easy  Rules  for  the  Reduction  of  Scales. 

To  convert  Reaumur  into  Fahrenheit,  multiply  by  2.25 
and  add  32°. 

To  convert  Centigrade  into  Fahrenheit,  multiply  by  1.8 
and  add  32°. 


Sizes  of  Camera  Plates. 


Stereoscopic 

^  9th  Plate . 

£  6th  Plate.... 


,5|  by  3£  inches,  6f  by  3}  incl 

. 2\  “  2 

. .3^  “  2f  “ 


inches. 


a 

u 

u 

u 

u 

ti 

u 

ii 


*  Whole  Plate, 


. 8^  “  6^  “ 

by  8  inches,  12  “  10  “ 

“  12  “  18  “  15  “ 

“  18  “  30  “  26  “ 


Extra  Sizes 


THE  FERROTYPE. 

TABLE  FOR  ENLARGEMENTS. 


FOCUS 

OF 

TIMES  OP 

ENLARGEMENT  AND  REDUCTION. 

LENS, 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

inches. 

2 

4 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

4 

3 

2f 

2* 

2f 

2* 

2? 

2* 

2* 

5 

7* 

10 

12* 

15 

17* 

20 

22* 

5 

3| 

3* 

3* 

3 

2** 

2f 

2*1 

6 

9 

12 

15 

18 

21 

24 

27 

6 

6 

4* 

4 

Sf 

3f 

HleJ 

CO  1 

3* 

3f 

3* 

7 

10* 

14 

17* 

21 

24* 

28 

31* 

7 

5* 

4» 

4f 

4* 

4A 

4 

Q1  5 

4 

8 

12 

16 

20 

24 

28 

32 

36 

8 

6 

5* 

5 

4# 

4§ 

4* 

4* 

4* 

9 

13* 

18 

22* 

27 

31* 

36 

40* 

9 

6f 

6 

H 

6* 

5* 

5* 

5* 

C 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

35 

40 

45 

0 

10 

7* 

6f 

6* 

6 

5f 

5| 

5* 

11 

16* 

22 

27* 

33 

38* 

44 

49* 

11 

8* 

7* 

6* 

6* 

6A 

6  f 

OjV 

6 

12 

18 

24 

30 

36 

42 

48 

54 

12 

9 

8 

7* 

7* 

7 

6f 

Of 

n 

14 

21 

28 

35 

42 

49 

56 

63 

l 

14 

10* 

9* 

8| 

81 

8* 

8 

71 

8 

16 

24 

32 

40 

48 

56 

64 

72 

16 

12 

10| 

10 

Of 

9* 

9* 

9 

9 

18 

27 

36 

45 

54 

63 

72 

81 

18 

13* 

12 

11* 

10f 

10* 

10* 

10* 

The  object  of  this  table  is  to  enable  any  manipulator  who  is  about  to  en¬ 
large  or  reduce  a  copy  any  given  number  of  times,  to  do  so  without 
troublesome  calculation.  It  is  assumed  that  the  photographer  knows 
exactly  what  the  focus  of  his  lens  is,  and  that  he  is  able  to  measure  accu¬ 
rately  from  its  optical  center.  The  use  of  the  table  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  illustration:  A  photographer  has  a  carte  to  enlarge  to  four 
times  its  size,  and  the  lens  he  intends  employing  is  one  of  six  inches 
equivalent  focus.  He  must,  therefore,  look  for  4  on  the  upper  horizontal 
line,  and  for  6  in  the  first  vertical  coluimi,  and  carry  his  eye  to  where 
these  two  join,  which  will  be  at  30— 7%.  The  greater  of  these  is  the  dis¬ 
tance  the  sensitive  plate  must  be  from  the  center  of  the  lens  ;  and  the 
lesser,  the  distance  of  the  picture  to  be  copied.  To  reduce  a  picture  any 
given  number  of  times,  the  same  method  must  be  followed,  but  in  this 
case  the  greater  number  will  represent  the  distance  between  the  lens  and 
the  picture  to  be  copied ;  the  lesser,  that  between  the  lens  and  the  sensi¬ 
tive  plate.  This  explanation  will  be  sufficient  for  every  case  of  enlarge¬ 
ment  or  reduction. 

If  the  focus  of  the  lens  be  12  inches,  as  this  number  is  not  in  our  column 
of  focal  lengths,  look  out  for  6  in  this  column  and  multiply  by  2  ;  and  so 
on  with  any  other  numbers. 


ADDENDA. 


WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 


Troy,  or  Apothecaries'  Weight. 

1  pound  —  12  ounces;  1  ounce  =  8  drachms;  1  drachm 
=  3  scruples ;  1  scruple  —  20  grains.  (1  ounce  Troy  =  480 
grains,  or  1  ounce  Avoirdupois  -f-  52’5  grains.) 

Avoirdupois  Weight. 

1  pound  =  16  ounces ;  1  ounce  =  16  drachms ;  1  drachm 
—  27*343  grains.  (1  ounce  Avoirdupois  =  437*5  grains. 
1  pound  Avoirdupois  =  7000  grains,  or  1  pound  Troy  -j-  2£ 
Troy  ounces  -f-  40  grains.) 

Imperial  Measure. 

1  gallon  =  8  pints ;  1  pint  =  20  ounces ;  1  ounce  =  8 
drachms ;  1  drachm  =  60  minims.  (A  water-pint  of  water 
measures  16  ounces,  and  weighs  a  pound.) 

An  Imperial  gallon  of  water  weighs  10  pounds  Avoirdupois, 
or  70,000  grains.  An  Imperial  pint  of  water  weighs  1|  pound 
Avoirdupois.  A  fluid  ounce  of  water  weighs  1  ounce  Avoir¬ 
dupois,  or  437'5  grains.  A  drachm  of  water  weighs  54*7 
grains. 


French  Measures  of  Weight. 

1  kilogramme  =  1000  grammes  —  something  less  than  2| 
pounds  Avoirdupois. 

1  gramme  =  10  decigrammes  =  100  centigrammes  ==  1000 
milligrammes  =  15*433  English  grains. 

A  gramme  of  water  measures  17  English  minims,  nearly. 
1000  grammes  of  water  measure  35^  English  fluid  ounces. 


French  Measures  of  Volume. 

1  litre  =  10  decilitres  =  100  centilitres  =  1000  militres 
=  35£  English  fluid  ounces. 

1  litre  =  1  cubic  decimetre  =  1000  cubic  centimetres. 

1  cubic  centimetre  =  17  English  minims. 

A  litre  of  water  iveighs  a  kilogramme,  or  something  less 
than  2|-  pounds  Avoirdupois.  A  cubic  centimetre  of  water 
weighs  a  gramme. 


THE  FERROTYPE. 


WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 


Apothecaries’  Weight.  —  solid  measure. 


20'  grains  =  1  scruple  =  20  grains. 

3  scruples  =  1  drachm  =  60  “ 

8  drachms  =  1  ounce  =  480  “ 

12  ounces  =  1  pound  =  5760  “ 

FLUID.  SYMBOL. 

60  minims  =  1  fluid  drachm,  f.  Z 

8  drachms  =  1  ounce.  f. 

20  ounces  =  1  pint.  O.  % 

8  pints  =  1  gallon.  gall. 


The  above  weights  are  those  usually  adopted  in  formulae. 
A 11  Chemicals  are  usually  sold  by 

Avoirdupois  Weight. 
grains  =  1  drachm  =  27||  grains. 

16  drachms  =  1  ounce  =  437^  “ 

16  ounces  =  1  pound  ==  7000  “ 

Precious  Metals  are  usually  sold  by 
Troy  Weight. 

24  grains  =  1  pennyweight  =  24  grains. 

20  pennyweights  =  1  ounce  =  480  “ 

12  ounces  ==  1  pound  =  5760  “ 

Note. — An  ounce  of  metallic  silver  contains  480  grains,  but  an  ounc« 
of  nitrate  of  silver  contains  only  437>£  grains. 


French  Weights  and  Measures, 

AND  THEIR  EQUIVALENTS  IN  ENGLISH. 


1  cubic  centimetre  =  17  minims,  nearly. 

3*  “  “  =  1  drachm. 

28‘4  “  “  =1  ounce. 

50  “  “  =1  ounce  6  drachms  5  minims. 

100  “  “  =3  ounces  4  drachms  9  minims, 

1000  “ 

or  1  litre,  —  35  ounces  1  drachm  36  minims. 

=  to  61  cubic  inches, 


The  unit  of  French  liquid  measures  is  a  cubic  centimetre.  A  cubic  centi¬ 
metre  of  water  measures  nearly  17  minims  (KV896) ;  it  weighs  15-4  grains,  or 
]  gramme.  A  cubic  inch  of  water  weighs  252‘5  grains. 

The  unit  of  French  weights  is  the  gramme,  =  to  15*4  grains ;  thus  a 
drachm  (60  grains')  is  nearly  4  grammes  (3*88).  An  easy  way  to  convert 
grammes  into  Eglish  weight,  is  to  divide  the  sum  by  4,  which  gives  th* 
equivalent  in  drachms  very  nearly  thus : 


GBAMMES.  DRACHMS.  OZ.  DBCHM.  GRAINS. 

100  -r-  4  =  25  =  3  .  1  +  43. 


THE  END. 


I  INDORSES  THE  YERDICT 


jj  OF  THE 

BEST  ARTISTS  of  AMERICA. 


AWARDED  TO  THE 


S  the  Old  World  and  the  New  are  both  of  one  opinion,  we 
suppose  the  question  is  settled,  and  all  who  want  the  best 
Plate  will  order  the 


MADE  BY  JOHN  DEAN  A  CO.,  ^FOR  SALE  BY 


STOCK  DEALERS  EVER  Y- W  HERE. 


Clendon  H.  Sheen.  Wm.  a.  Simpkinson 


CO 


t 

PT 

CO 

,_1 

«\ 

C! 

pa 

w 

CO 

O 

0 

& 

<J 

pq 

a 

<a? 

I 

<c 

ca 

V 

fiL- 

£ 

03 

0^ 

rt 

A 

❖ 

A 

5 

<d 

CO 

w/ 

v> 

»> 

0 

«r© 

in 

K 

H 

J 

< 

CP 

►—* 

w 

< 

y‘\ 

ex) 

0 

0 

H 

P 

Y 

E 

oa: 

pH 

\i/ 

/i\ 

0 

0 

❖ 

&, 

w 

a 

© 

<•> 

& 

0 

i 

< 

oa 

00 

0 

5 

t/3 

or 

E-< 

O 

0 

pH 

JL 

0 

& 

&JK 


«x 


c® 

V© 

-5-' 


GELATINO-BSOffllDE  RAPID  PRINTING  PAPER, 

Manufactured  under  American  Patents  belonging  to  D.  Huti- 
net,  P.  E.  Lamy,  and  E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co.,  dated  re¬ 
spectively  Feb.  14th,  1882,  and  May  3d,  1881. 

This  paper  being  prepared  with  the  same  substance  as  the 
Gelatino-bromide  Dry  Plates,  requires  no  other  chemicals  for 
the  production  of  prints  than  those  used  with  the  plates,  which 
is  a  GREAT  CONVENIENCE  to  amateurs  who  intend 
to  travel,  and  do  NOT  WISH  to  be  burdened  with 
TOO  MANY  CHEMICALS. 

It  must  of  course  be  opened  only  in  a  RUBY 
LIGHT,  and  can  be  printed  by  the  light  of  a  gas  jet  or 
kerosene  lamp  in  FIVE  SECONDS. 

By  the  use  of  the  TROPICAL  DRY  PLATES, 
which  can  be  DRIED  OVER  A  SPIRIT  LAMP 
after  development,  and  this  paper,  which  can  be  printed  in  so 
short  a  time,  a  FRO  OF  can  be  made  within  20  MIN¬ 
UTES  after  the  exposure  of  the  plate  in  the  camera. 

Any  one  possessing  a  Magic  Lantern  or  Solar  Camera  can 
make  beautiful  enlargements  on  this  paper,  which  may  be  sub¬ 
sequently  painted  or  finished  in  crayon. 

The  GLOSSY  RAPID  PRINTING  PA¬ 
PER  (extra  heavy),  dries  with  a  beautiful  glossy  surface, 
more  brilliant  than  that  of  albumen  paper,  and  gives  fine  pure 
lights  and  contrasts.  It  requires  no  toning,  varnishing  or  fum¬ 
ing. 

Another  great  advantage  of  this  paper  is  that  the  prints  may 
be  made  in  the  evening,  independently  of  cloudy  or  foggy 
weather,  and  the  exposure  being  so  short,  many  more  prints 
can  be  made  in  a  given  time  than  by  any  other  paper. 

Full  instructions  for  use  accompany  each  package. 

&  &  E  7.  Mwmw  &  g0„ 

Sole  Agents.  591  BROADWAY,  N.  Y. 


*-TWiH°und*('ity-* 
Ffmtngraphm  I  Stank  I  HausE, 


h.  ji.  Hyjnr, 

Sip.  Ixouis,  (Do., 


E.  OnmplEfB  Stunk  nf  EUEuything  that  a  Fhn- 
InnraphEF  nr  FErrntypEU  nan  possibly  want. 


v^ppiee^  k°v/  tl 2®  k'°v/e^t.v 

^QUALITY *  NOT *  QUANTITY > 


senD  fofj  oupj  i^pse  ©fispiiosue. 


^=K«memLer^ 


411  NORTH  4TH  ST., 

ST.  LOUIS, 


MO. 


IMPORTANT  TO 

PlioI°',;rapI)ic'»i/Iii!ut'ur5. 

- O>0.^^>0^0 - 

Our  new  “  Manual  for  Amateurs,  ” 
just  issued,  is  the  simplest,  most  practi¬ 
cal,  thorough,  and  easy  to  be  under¬ 
stood  of  any  ever  published. 

Price  by  mail  post-paid,  50  cents 
in  Paper ;  75  cents  in  Cloth. 


- — READ  WHAT  IS  SAID  OF  IT.  - 

“  All  of  the  latest  and  best  formulas  are  stated.  It  is  finely  printed 
and  abundantly  illustrated.  A  valuable  work  for  those  wishing  to  learn 
this  interesting  art.” — Scientific  American. 

“  I  wish  I  had  had  at  the  outset  so  practical  and  trustworthy  a 
guide.” — Henry  Beadel. 

“A  very  useful,  because  practical,  little  book.  We  have  found  the 
instructions  contained  in  its  pages  to  be  just  what  are  necessary.” — 

— Forest  and  Stream . 

“The  importance  of  such  a  work  cannot  well  be  overrated.” — N. 
Y.  Daily  Commercial  Bulletin. 

“A  complete  little  work  on  modern  photography.” — F.  C.  Beach. 
“The  formulas  are  all  of  the  most  recent,  and  have  been  tested  by 
the  publishers.” —  The  Eye  ( Chicago.) 

“  This  book  with  its  large  number  of  illustrations  gives  ample  and 
clear  instructions.” — Christian  Intelligencer. 

(^“Catalogues  of  Amateur  Apparatus  sent  free  on  application. 

E.  &  M.  T.  ART H0HY  &  60., 

591  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


Forty  Years  established  in  this  line  of  business.  .". 


-^ITOYELz^ 

S"2 - - 3^ 

j  CAMERAS 

lilGHTESHi, 

STRONGEST, 

CQosjp 

COMPACT, 

CHEAPEST  .  m 

Buy  no  other  before  seeing  one. 

Single  and  Double  Swing-back. 

Can  be  REVERSED  INSTANTLY. 

Sold  at  a  LOWER  PRICE  than  any  other  View^Cam- 
era  in  the  market. 

These  are  of  more  simple  construction  than  any  other 
style,  and  being  more  compact,  are  much  more  easily  han¬ 
dled  in  the  field. 

A  new  size,  4^  x  6}4,  which  meets  with  large  sale, 
especially  among  amateurs,  has  lately  been  issued. 

A  complete  line  of  these  in  French  Polished  Mahogany 
and  Nickel-Plated  Metal  Work,  will  soon  be  ready. 

E.  &  H.  T.  ANTHONY  &  CO., 

Sole  Proprietors.  591  Broadway,  New  York. 


Eastman’s  Dry  Plates, 


SPECIAL 

TROPICAL 

SPECIAL 

TROPICAL 

SPECIAL 

TROPICAL 

SPECIAL 

TROPICAL 


(  The  softest,  most  sensitive,  and  there- 
1  fore  the  quickest  Dry  Plate  made. 

j  The  ONLY  ones  that  can  be  success- 
{  fully  used  in  any  climate. 

j  More  perfectly  made  than  any  in  the 
(  market. 

(  Can  always  be  used,  even  in  the  hot- 
l  test  weather. 

j  The  only  ones  of  uniform  size  and 
|  thickness,  and  also  rectangular. 

(  They  never  frill  or  run  off  the  glass 
(  under  any  circumstances. 

(  Just  the  thing  for  portraits  and  all 
(  kinds  of  instantaneous  work. 

j  The  only  ones  that  can  be  used  in 
l  summer  without  ice  or  alum, 


S$3'i} 

IX  MIX®,  of}  TS^i}  Xl'l'ofjA  M^Y 

ai<i<  ix  vsiX- 


m-  SEND  FOR  PRICES  OF  THEM,  .ffll 

Also  send  for  our  Manual  of  Amateur  Photography,  written  by  Mr. 
T.  C.  Roche,  and  edited  by  Mr,  H.  T.  Anthony.  The  best,  most  com¬ 
plete  and  reliable  work  published  on  the  subject.  Price,  50  cts. 
paper,  and  75  cts  in  cloth. 

E.  &  H.  T.  Anthony  &  Co. 


59/  Broadway  (fiZsXV  New  York. 


TEXAS  HEADQUARTERS 

3oi  'peztainittcj  to  Jffiotogzcipfiy- 


BLESSING  &  BRO, 

GALVESTON,  TEXAS. 

Keep  in  stock  and  are  constantly  receiving 

CAMERA  BOXES,  LENSES,  STANDS, 

DISHES,  BACKGROUNDS,  ACCESSORIES, 

Pure  Chemicals, 

Fresh  Papers, 

STEREOSCOPES  AND  VIEWS, 

PHOTOGRAPHIC  ALBUMS 

A  very  large  stock  of  FRAMES,  consisting  of 
Wall,  Easel,  Velvet  and  Combination  Frames. 

§m  ani  Brs  HIntc 

AND  EVERYTHING  ELSE  PERTAINING  TO  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

TOGETHER  WITH  A  FULL  LINE  OF 

avib  gjwztvuctiono 


We  are  prepared  to  compete  with  any  house  East  or  West  in  both 
quality  nnd  prices. 

Send  for  Illustrated  Catalogue  and  Price-Lists. 


3$.  &  S.  ¥.  Sr|tl|oi^y  &  Co., 

MANUFACTURERS  OF 

AMATEUR 
PHOTOGRAPHIC  EQUIPMENTS. 

| ftfs/  Assortment  Tightest,  and  most  ^hsuiicul 
of  ang  in  Jfhirkct. 

DTlaiAIAoT  oJ>  0O144ple-te  SlAO^lTCi'tOIAA,  50 

SOLE  AGENTS  FOR 

DALLMEYER’S  CELEBRATED  LENSES. 

The  ONLY  ONES  indorsed  by  ALL  the  Best 
PROFESSIONAL  PHOTOGRAPHERS. 

MANUFACTURERS  OF  THE 

3$.  ®.  jStkqddfd  Cl|eii|ical$ 

All  our  Photographic  Preparations  are  Universally 
recognized  as  The  Best  of  their  kind  to  be  had. 


Send  for  Circular. 


ANTHONY’S  RAPID  PRINTING  PAPER. 


J.  C.  SOMERVILLE, 

DEALER  IN 

nhntngraphic  S  Supplies, 

1009  OLIVE  STREET, 

St.  -  Louis,  -  Mo. 


SEND  FOR  OUR 

cfeaz-yaiM'  Sul! 

This  list  we  issue  about  every  two  or  three  months. 
It  is  an  accommodation  sheet  for  many  of  our  cus¬ 
tomers  as  well  as  ourselves,  for  goods  that  they  and 
we  wish  to  dispose  of  at  a  Bargain,  to  any  in  need 
of  them.  It  has  already  been  the  means  of  giving 
many  just  what  they  wanted,  for  little  money.  It 
will  pay  you  to  watch  it  and  speak  quick,  and 

REMEMBER! 

We  will  pay  the  very  highest  prices  (in  traded  for 

Salable  Leases ,  Apparatus,  Etc., 

That  you  may  have  no  use  for,  or  wish  to  exchange,  thus 
enabling  you  to  make  use  of  idle  capital. 


David  Tucker  &  Co. 

Photographers7 


Supplies, 


Ij.i-waie.w't;  l  |’i  l\>  cv  Special  ty. 

PICTURE  FRAMES, 
MOULDINGS, 

A  | klvqt  mid  SmcM  ♦** 

ALBUMS, 

STEREOSCOPES,  ETC., 

410  &  412  MAIN  ST., 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 


David  Tucker.  ) 
S.  B.  Butts.  ) 


SCHUMANN'S 

PH0«SKftPHIg  ST00K  DEPOT 

AND 

CJ^roic&t 

ATLANTA,  GEORGIA. 


Supplies  for  Photographers  and  Ferrotypers  con¬ 
stantly  on  hand  at  lowest  cash  prices. 

o|  Hape^  cW'b 

fPla/fceo. 

Best  Brand  of  Dry  Plates  and  all  articles  retired  for  Dry  Plate  Work. 

Amateur  Outfits  furnished  at  short  notice  and  at  lowest  prices. 


SCHUMANN’S  Excelsior  Rapid  Silver  Bath, 

SCHUMANN’S  Excelsior  Rapid  Collodion, 

SCHUMANN’S  Empire  Ferro.  Collodion, 

SCHUMANN’S  Retouching  and  Negative  Varnish, 

SCHUMANN’S  Nitrate  of  Silver  and  Chloride  of  Gold, 
SCHUMANN’S  Iodide  and  Bromide  of  Ammonium, 

SCHUMANN’S  Iodide  and  Bromide  of  Cadmium. 

All  orders  receive  prompt  and  caref  ul  attention . 

Silver  Waste  refined  at  moderate  charge.  Orders  for  Outfits  solic¬ 
ited,  on  which  special  inducements  are  offered. 

$ei\d  fof  Pfide-I^t. 


W'T3i-<iHO>cii^tTiln 


JOHN  DEAN  &  CO., 

WORCESTER,  MASS., 


Manufacturers  of 


SOLD  BY  ALL  DEALERS , 

May  be  obtained  at  Manufacturers’  prices  of 

E.  &  H.  T.  ANTHONY  &  CO. 

591  Broadway,  NEW  YORK. 

[FLA.  TES. 


E.  &  H.  T.  ANTHONY  &  GO,. 

591  Broadway,  ]ST.  Y. 

THE  LARGEST  MANUFACTURERS  OF 

IN  THE  WORLD! 


Publishers  of 


The  Cheapest  and  best  Illustrated  Photographic  Month¬ 
ly  in  America. 


Dealers  furnished  with  everything  in  any  way 
connected  with  photography  on  the  most  reason¬ 
able  terms,  and  unsurpassed  in  quality. 


MANUFACTURERS  OR 
Silk  Velvet  Passepartouts  in  great  variety, 

Combination  Frames  of  Ebony,  Oak  and  other 

Fine  Woods,  also  Gold  Gilt,  with  Velvet  and  Satin. 
Easels  with  or  without  Frames,  in  various  styles,  for  Cabinet  and  Panel 
Pictures.  Designs  in  Eastlake  and  similarly  popular  patterns, 
and  many  other  Novelties. 


